JACOBS, Joseph (Joe) Louis
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 August 1993, Ipswich, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Mildenhall; (2010) Rye House II; (2011) Mildenhall.
CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Mildenhall].
NOTE: Jacobs also appeared for Mildenhall prior to joining Rye House II in 2010, but this is not credited in his career record because the club closed down prematurely, with all their matches expunged from the records.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.68 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Jacobs first started riding motorcycles at the age of just 4, before moving on to trials bikes when 8 years-of-age. He was a protégé of former Ipswich, Reading and England ace Jeremy Doncaster, and was quite a star for Rye House in the 2008 Academy League, a year that also saw him attain fourth place in the British Under-15 Championship.

He linked with Mildenhall in 2009 and was to complete twenty-seven official meetings for the Fen Tigers in his maiden term, yielding 119 points and a 4.87 real-time average. In November, the West row-based club revealed that Jacobs would be remaining with them for 2010 and he showed good form too in the early months of the campaign.

Mildenhall were to experience off-track problems, though, and prior to their premature closure he was signed by Rye House to replace the injured Jamie Smith at the tail-end of July. Then, at Somerset on 30 July, he had to settle for the runner-up spot in the British Under-18 Championship. He had been the joint top scorer in the qualifying heats, but lost out to the Isle of Wight’s Brendan Johnson in the deciding finale.

Regrettably, he was injured shortly after being recruited by the Cobras in a National League fixture at Buxton on 15 August. Having turned 17 years-of-age the day before, it was feared that Jacobs had sustained a broken bone in his foot whilst bringing up the rear in heat ten; he fell on the first turn of the third lap, before re-mounting and going down again on the fourth bend.

However, the club received positive news a day later that he had escaped without any broken bones from his accident in the Peak District, although he had been left with a major swelling to his foot and ankle, which prevented him from any weight bearing.

He recovered quickly thereafter, though, and returned to action for Rye House in a National League fixture against Scunthorpe at Hoddesdon on 28 August. He went on to post an average of 6.38 for the Cobras, having totalled 47 points from seven appearances.

On 16 February 2011, it was announced that the hugely talented Jacobs was returning to a resurgent Mildenhall Speedway following the successful negotiations that saw ex-riders Chris Louis, Michael Lee and Kevin Jolly take over the running of the West Row circuit.

He made a patchy start to the campaign, which resulted in a drop to a reserve slot, but really hit the heights when the Fen Tigers entertained the Isle of Wight on 29 May, scoring a paid maximum tally of 13+2 points from the No. 7 berth as Mildenhall romped to a 61-33 success.

JANKOWSKI, Łukasz
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 December 1982, Leszno, Poland
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) King’s Lynn; (2007-08) Belle Vue; (2009) Poole; (2011) Belle Vue.
NOTE: Jankowski made just one British League Cup appearance for Oxford in 2003, but this is not counted in his career record because his inclusion in the side was later deemed ineligible.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Roman Jankowski (born: 5 October 1957, Koscian, Poland). Brother of Marcin Jankowski (born: 10 May 1984, Poland) and Norbert Jankowski.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Jankowski’s first taste of British speedway was a two-match stint with King’s Lynn in 2002, when the Norfolk club was under the promotion of Nigel Wagstaff. Following his even briefer and ineligible stay with Oxford in 2003, it would be another four years before he returned to the UK with Belle Vue at the tail-end of 2007 for just a single appearance.
 
The Pole sustained a broken collarbone, when he crashed in heat nine of Belle Vue’s home league match versus Eastbourne on 9 June 2008. He had ridden in fifteen matches for the Aces and scored 60 points for an average of 5.14.

He returned to the British scene in April 2009 when, in a team re-shuffle, he joined Poole on loan as a replacement for the injured Jason Doyle. However, Jankowski’s stint with the Pirates only lasted until late that same month, before he was released to make way for Aleš Dryml. He had ridden in eight matches and scored 14 points for a lowly 2.14 average.

On 31 July 2011, Belle Vue revealed that Janowski was to re-join them as a replacement for Dawid Stachyra, as the Leszno-born rider looked to kick-start his British career. The Aces had had a problem replacing Stachyra, with Borys Miturski being injured before he had turned a wheel for the club.

However, the Manchester club was rocked by the loss of the Polish rider on the eve of their biggest match of the season. This came after Jankowski made the shock decision to return home – along with his equipment – as the Aces prepared for the second leg of the Knock-Out Cup semi-final against Lakeside at Kirkmanshulme Lane on 12 October. He was subsequently replaced by Josh Auty.

JANOWSKI, Maciej (Maciek)
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 August 1991, Wrocław, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Swindon.
MAJOR HONOURS: Polish Under-21 Champion: 2008, 2010; World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2008, 2009; European Under-19 Team Champion: 2009, 2010; World Under-21 Champion: 2011.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Just six days after his sixteenth birthday, on 12 August 2007, the rider who prefers to be known as Maciek Janowski (pronounced Mash-ek Yan-ov-ski) made his debut for his hometown club, Wrocław, in a Polish Extraleague Play-Off fixture versus a visiting Rzeszów septet, marking the occasion by scoring a single point. It may have been a largely inauspicious debut, but he was on the road to big things and he really started to blossom in 2008.

Indeed, on 19 August, he was victorious in the Polish Under-21 Championship at Rybnik; this came after he had tied for top spot on 13 points with surprise packet Daniel Pytel, before convincingly winning a title run-off against the tall-in-the-saddle Poznań representative. A week later, on 26 August, he followed that up by romping to a 15-point full-house at Leszno to seal the Youth Extraleague Individual Championship.

And at Holsted, Denmark, on 21 September, he top-scored for Poland with 11 points as they narrowly edged out the home nation to triumph in the World Under-21 Team Cup. He capped a fine year by also winning the Polish Silver Helmet (the unofficial Under-21 Polish Championship) at Rzeszów. Justifiably, his efforts led to the Polish magazine Tygodnik Żużlowy [Speedway Weekly] awarding him with the accolade of Junior of the Year.

More honours came his way in 2009, when he won the prestigious Polish Bronze Helmet (the unofficial Under-19 Polish Championship) at his home circuit. And at Holsted, Denmark, on 23 August, both he and Przemysław Pawlicki netted 15 points apiece as Poland landed the European Under-19 Team Championship. Further glory came at Gorzów on 5 September, when Poland successfully defended the World Under-21 Team Cup, with Janowski carding a 13-point haul.

Then, on 8 August, he became a double-winner of the European Under-19 Team Championship with Poland as they swept to victory in Divišov, Czech Republic, finishing a massive 31 points ahead of second-placed Sweden. Janowski’s contribution was a 15-point maximum, with his team-mates being Patryk Dudek, Przemysław Pawlicki, Kacper Gomólski and Łukasz Cyran.

With his talents much sought after, it was Swindon who landed the Polish hot-shot’s prized signature in 2010. This came after Thomas H. Jonasson had received a 28-day ban for failing to appear in the Robins’ away league fixture at Ipswich on 16 August.

Janowski subsequently made his debut for the Wiltshire outfit in a home league match versus Ipswich on 30 August, scoring 3 points from four outings. He then tallied 4 points in Swindon’s next home match against Wolverhampton, before producing a sensational showing at Lakeside’s technical raceway on 3 September, when he notched 11+3 points from a 6-ride schedule.

More great stuff came from his wheels on 9 September, when he carded a superb haul of 9+2 points from four starts in the return home match against Lakeside. And, the Wrocław rider followed that up by winning the Polish Under-21 Championship for the second time at Toruń two days later, when he scorched to a 15-point maximum to finish just 1-point ahead of Coventry and Stal Gorzów’s Przemysław Pawlicki.

At the season’s conclusion, he had appeared in half-a-dozen matches for the Robins and garnered 38 points for a real-time average of 6.62. And, on 16 December, at an Abbey Stadium-staged Fans’ Forum, the rider known as ‘Magic’ was confirmed as a definite starter in the Swindon line-up for 2011.  

Although Janowski and compatriot Tomasz Chrzanowski were present for Swindon’s Press and Practice Day on 17 March, both weren’t granted start permission because the Polish authority, Polski Związek Motorowy [PZM], had issues over a new silencer that had been introduced to the sport.

The two riders finally received the all-clear to ride shortly before 5.00 p.m. on the day of the Robins’ first league match of the campaign at Belle Vue on 4 April. But it didn’t prevent the Wiltshire side from crashing to a 62-30 reverse, as skipper Simon Stead was ruled out through injury by the track doctor and club No. 1 Scott Nicholls failed to arrive after being stuck in heavy traffic.

On 25 August, Swindon announced the return of Grzegorz Zengota following injury as a replacement for Janowski. This came after club bosses had held talks with ‘Magic’ about his schedule for the rest of the season.

It was explained that when ‘Zengi’ had called and said he was ready to ride the club couldn’t accommodate him without Janowski stepping down. However, the rider was offered the chance to take a breather from what had been a frantic schedule for him, which provided the opportunity for him to prepare and focus on his World Under-21 exploits.

And Janowski was crowned the new World Under-21 Champion after scoring 9 points in the final round at Gniezno in his homeland on 9 October. He topped the podium ahead of former victor Darcy Ward, who defeated Przemysław Pawlicki in a run-off for second place.

Pawlicki won the meeting with a 15-point maximum, ahead of Ward [14] and Patryk Dudek [12] – but Janowski only needed 8 points prior to the meeting to be crowned overall Champion and he secured the title with second place in heat fourteen after a fierce battle with Ward.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 3 – 86th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 25 – 69th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 15 – 81st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 4 – 62nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 3 – 12th on Sweden’s list; 88th on SWC all-time list
Points: 21 – 11th on Sweden’s list; 76th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

JEPSEN JENSEN, Michael
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 February 1992, Esbjerg, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Peterborough.
MAJOR HONOUR: World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2010.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: On 27 August 2011, Peterborough announced that they had won the race to sign the exciting Danish youngster. A handful of Elite League clubs had been chasing the signature of the teenager – rated one of the most promising young world talents – but the 19-year-old Jensen agreed to join the Panthers after two sightseeing visits to the East of England Showground.

He was runner-up to Coventry’s Piotr Pawlicki in the European Under-19 Final at Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the beginning of July and followed that up with tenth place in the second round of the Danish Final, where he beat the three-times World Champion, Nicki Pedersen, in his second ride.

In 2010, he won the silver medal in the Danish Under-21 Final, dropping his only point to another Peterborough asset, eventual winner René Bach. Earlier, he had helped Denmark win the Under-21 World Cup at Rye House, scoring 12 points from five rides in the final.

Shortly after announcing his acquisition, Peterborough confirmed that Polish speedster Norbert Kościuch would be the rider the make way for the exciting Danish ace.

JENSEN, Mikkel Bech
DATE OF BIRTH: 31 August 1994, Naestved, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Swindon.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: On 1 September 2011, it was announced that Swindon had swooped to sign the young Danish sensation for their last two league meetings of the campaign. It was confirmed by the Wiltshire side four days later that the man to make way for the arrival of Jensen was Sergey Darkin.

The talented teenager, who always rode as Mikkel B. Jensen, was well known to Robins’ boss Jan Stæchmann and gave a good account on his Grand Prix debut as the wildcard in Copenhagen in June. The club was aware that having turned 17 at the end of August, the rider still had school commitments going into 2012, but from Stæchmann’s previous position as national coach for Denmark, he was also aware of what facilities were in place to help a young sportsman with that.

JANKOWSKI, Łukasz
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 December 1982, Leszno, Poland
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) King’s Lynn; (2007-08) Belle Vue; (2009) Poole; (2011) Belle Vue.
NOTE: Jankowski made just one British League Cup appearance for Oxford in 2003, but this is not counted in his career record because his inclusion in the side was later deemed ineligible.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Roman Jankowski (born: 5 October 1957, Koscian, Poland). Brother of Marcin Jankowski (born: 10 May 1984, Poland) and Norbert Jankowski.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Jankowski’s first taste of British speedway was a two-match stint with King’s Lynn in 2002, when the Norfolk club was under the promotion of Nigel Wagstaff. Following his even briefer and ineligible stay with Oxford in 2003, it would be another four years before he returned to the UK with Belle Vue at the tail-end of 2007 for just a single appearance.
 
The Pole sustained a broken collarbone, when he crashed in heat nine of Belle Vue’s home league match versus Eastbourne on 9 June 2008. He had ridden in fifteen matches for the Aces and scored 60 points for an average of 5.14.

He returned to the British scene in April 2009 when, in a team re-shuffle, he joined Poole on loan as a replacement for the injured Jason Doyle. However, Jankowski’s stint with the Pirates only lasted until late that same month, before he was released to make way for Aleš Dryml. He had ridden in eight matches and scored 14 points for a lowly 2.14 average.

On 31 July 2011, Belle Vue revealed that Janowski was to re-join them as a replacement for Dawid Stachyra, as the Leszno-born rider looked to kick-start his British career. The Aces had had a problem replacing Stachyra, with Borys Miturski being injured before he had turned a wheel for the club.

JOHNSON, Brendan David
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 June 1992, Poole, Dorset.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Oxford II; (2008) Weymouth; (2009) Isle of Wight, Somerset; (2010) Isle of Wight, Weymouth; (2011) Isle of Wight, Dudley.
MAJOR HONOUR: British Under-18 Champion: 2010.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth]; League Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.31 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Johnson shared a ‘doubling-up’ role with Jay Herne at Somerset in 2009, but was relinquished of the position in June, with the Aussie assuming a full-time position in the Oak Tree Arena outfit.

The teenager continued to represent the Isle of Wight in British speedway’s third tier but, on 20 August, sustained head and other injuries in an horrific high-speed crash in the final heat of the Islanders’ National Trophy encounter with Mildenhall at Smallbrook Stadium.

The Poole-born rider had been dicing for the lead with visiting racer James Birkinshaw, when they collided as they sped shoulder-to-shoulder down the back straight, and both crashed heavily. The track paramedics were swiftly on the scene and, after lengthy attention, Johnson was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital.

After further extensive treatment, doctors heavily sedated the youngster and placed him in intensive care on life support systems, and the decision was taken to airlift him to Southampton General Hospital.

The first 24-48 hours were critical but – just three days after the accident – there came the wonderful news that the team of doctors treating Johnson had taken the decision to gradually bring him out of his induced coma, whilst also reducing his dependency upon the various systems that were aiding his breathing and other functions to zero.

Whilst he continued to make good progress in his recuperation, the Isle of Wight acquired the services of Dean Felton to shore up the gap in their side. Remarkably, Johnson returned to the track with some after meeting practice laps at Poole on 15 October, following Bournemouth’s Knock-Out Cup final success over Buxton.

He continued on the road back with a trip to Australia – during which he practiced and learned more about engines etc. – and just before he left, the brave youngster received the Rider of the Year award at the Isle of Wight’s presentation evening.

The subsequent news was very good as Johnson got in plenty of laps Down Under and, just before Christmas, it was announced that he had concluded a deal to resume National League action with the Islanders in 2010.

He was to give good service to the side that races out of Smallbrook Stadium and, on 30 July, enjoyed a career high when he scooped the British Under-18 Championship courtesy of an excellent display at Somerset. That completed a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for the youngster who, less than twelve months previously, had been in a coma fighting for his life.

Johnson crashed during the Isle of Wight’s National Trophy encounter with Weymouth at Smallbrook Stadium on 31 August and was taken to hospital. Thankfully, he was released at about midnight and, although nothing was broken, he had suffered knee damage and had to walk with the aid of crutches for a couple of weeks.

Naturally, the Islanders’ management sought cover and signed John Resch, with Johnson subsequently re-locating back to Weymouth – with whom he had won the then-Conference League Championship in 2008 – towards the end of September.

Looking at his yearly statistics, for the Isle of Wight he made twenty-two appearances and notched 96 points for an average of 5.14. Meanwhile with Weymouth, he rode in just three matches, scoring 6 points for an average of 3.20. With the season over, he again toured Down Under in the winter break from UK racing.

In February 2011, the Isle of Wight confirmed that Johnson would return to their colours at the start of the National League campaign. As such, he linked with the likes of Nick Simmons, Lee Smethills, John Resch, Tom Hill and Rob Smith.

He was to average over 6 points a match over the first sector of the campaign but, on 30 June, the Islanders’ management announced that they had released both him and Lee Smethills. However, Johnson was immediately snapped-up by Dudley to replace the injured Richard Franklin. And, the following day, he was replaced in the Isle of Wight’s declared line-up by Danny Warwick.

Remarkably, though, Franklin was fit and ready to return to competitive racing – less than three weeks after undergoing knee surgery! As a result, the Heathens allowed Johnson to switch to Newport Hornets after the Welsh club came in with an offer of a team place. Indeed, the Welsh club made the double signing of the Dorset-born rider and Steven Jones to replace local boys David Gough and Tom Young.

Johnson sustained a back injury in Newport’s home match against Hackney on 14 August. This occurred in heat five when Hawks’ Barrie Evans had an engine blow-up whilst he was leading, which led to the Dorseteers injuries in an ensuing pile-up with team-mate Mattie Bates’ machine. Thankfully, the rider was fit to resume racing just a few days later after undergoing treatment at Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital.

JONASSON, Thomas Hjelm
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 November 1988, Vetlanda, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-09) Edinburgh; (2010) Swindon; (2011) Poole.
MAJOR HONOUR: Swedish Under-21 Champion: 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2008 [Edinburgh], 2011 [Poole].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.06 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: After impressing with Edinburgh in 2008 the Swede, who rides under the name of Thomas H. Jonasson, began the 2009 campaign in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity with Belle Vue. However, before making any appearances for the Aces, a team re-shuffle saw the Manchester outfit opt for a straight 1-7 following the signing of Morten Risager in May.

Following discussions between Jonasson and the Edinburgh management in June, it was announced that the Swede would be ‘withdrawing from UK racing for the immediate future’. The Swede had a hectic schedule at the time, competing in Poland and Britain, as well as his homeland. He was also contesting the World Under-21 Championship, the Swedish Under-21 Championship, the World Under-21 Team Championship and the GP qualifiers.

The sudden and untimely passing of his father, Michael, on 30 April was also seen as a major factor in Jonasson’s decision to scale back his activities, as his dad had played a vital role in his racing development and career management.

However, Jonasson subsequently returned to the Monarchs’ line-up to help out the club in July, following completion of the 28-day period required under SCB rules. His resumption in the side proved short-lived, however, and he was replaced in a renewed team declaration towards the end of the same month by Max Dilger.

Prior to his official departure from the Monarchs’ 1-7, Jonasson emphasized his enormous talent when he won the Swedish Under-21 Championship at Målilla on 24 July and, a day later, for the second year running, he took third place in the Swedish Championship – behind Andreas Jonsson and Fredrik Lindgren – on the same circuit.

Following the broken pelvis suffered by Andrew Tully at Wolverhampton on 3 August, Edinburgh offered the Swede the opportunity of a late run in the side, but he turned it down because of his busy schedule. After the season’s end, there was speculation that Swindon were interested in handing Jonasson a berth in their 2010 line-up and, on 26 November, it was confirmed that he had joined the Wiltshire side.

In January, it was revealed that SVEMO, the Swedish Motor Federation, had handed Jonasson a worldwide ban from 27 April for four weeks, because he missed a Grand Prix qualifier at Daugavpils, Latvia, and instead rode the following day in Poland after his Polish club, Gorzów, and their federation had withdrawn start permission.

The Swede appealed against the verdict and was awaiting the outcome as the tapes rose on the UK season. The decision was upheld, though, and having started the campaign brightly for the Robins, this was a blow to both the rider and club.

Swindon’s management moved to cover their bases by bringing in Justin Sedgmen – who had started the term on fire for Birmingham – as cover in the No. 8 berth, the Aussie replacing Steve Boxall in the role at the Wiltshire club.

Jonasson missed further meetings for the Robins after a crash in Sweden on 6 July was followed by a bout of extreme toothache. Then, on 5 August, he missed a scheduled flight and arrived both late and ill equipped for Swindon’s home league match versus Peterborough, failing to score from three rides as a result. And, on 10 August, whilst representing Elit Vetlanda in a Swedish Elite League match at Vargarna, he was involved in a nasty heat five spill with home rider Scott Nicholls, in which he sustained concussion.

He recovered sufficiently to make his Grand Prix debut as a wildcard in the Scandinavian round at MÃ¥lilla four days later, when he performed flamboyantly and only just missed out on a semi-final berth having notched 8 points from his five-ride schedule.

Unfortunately, following his GP exploits, he was handed a 28-day ban after missing the Robins’ league fixture at Ipswich on 16 August. The Swede didn’t travel to Foxhall Heath for the encounter and the suspension effectively meant he would be absent for the remainder of Swindon’s 2010 season.

By his own admission, Jonasson acknowledged that he needed to become a more organised rider and that participating in three leagues was too much but, with an abundance of talent, it was stated that he remained an integral part of the Wiltshire club’s future plans. Underlining his talent, the Swede had appeared in seventeen official meetings for the Robins, scoring 113 points for a real-time average of 5.91.

His best performance at home was a return of 11+2 points from seven rides in a league match versus Belle Vue on 27 May. Meanwhile, away, he plundered a score of 12+2 from seven rides in his very first match for the club, again in the league, at Eastbourne on 27 March.

However, he didn’t feature in British speedway in 2011 although, on 29 July, Poole announced that they had purchased his contract from Edinburgh. Pirates’ boss Matt Ford admitted that he had come close to signing the Swede a couple of seasons beforehand.

He also stated that his acquisition was a long-term move rather than a short-term one, but didn’t entirely rule out the possibility that Jonasson could be drafted into the Poole side before the end of the campaign. Indeed, that was to prove the case, as Jonasson was introduced to the side in the third week of August in place of Renat Gafurov.

Regrettably, the Pirates’ capture crashed out of his Swedish Play-Off fixture on 1 September. The young Swede, who had appeared twice for the Dorseteers averaging 8 points per meeting, was taken to hospital complaining of chest and abdominal pains.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 121st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 8 – 92nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 5 – 106th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 1 – 85th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

JONES, Mark
DATE OF BIRTH: 2 December 1986, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Newport II; (2011) Newport.
MAJOR HONOURS: Australian Under-16 Champion: 1999, 2001.
CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Newport].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Ashley Jones (born: 19 November 1981, Albury, New South Wales, Australia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Jones is the brother of the late Ashley, who started his British career with Newport in 2002, riding alongside fellow Aussies Frank Smart, Craig Watson and Scott Smith. Regrettably, Ashley was involved in a high-speed heat fourteen track accident at Myrtleford Speedway, while representing home state Victoria against New South Wales in a challenge match on 12 November 2005. Tragically, he passed away at the Royal Melbourne Hospital the following day.

The younger of the two siblings made his senior debut, having turned 16-years-of-age, at Olympic Park, Mildura in 2002. He subsequently spent the 2007 campaign in the UK as a mechanic for King’s Lynn’s Trevor Harding, but didn’t get offered a team place. After talks with Newport co-promoter Nick Mallett, it was revealed in February 2010 that Jones had agreed to represent the Welsh club’s National League side in the new season.

He is one of only four riders to have won the Australian Under-16 Championship on two occasions, his successes coming at Mildura in 1999 and Tamworth in 2001; the other double Champions being Jason Hawkes (1987 when he beat Leigh Adams, and 1988 when he beat Jason Crump), Rusty Harrison (1995 and 1997) and Arthur Sissis (2008 and 2009).

The Aussie was to enjoy a good first term in domestic British racing, appearing in nineteen official matches for the Hornets, from which he gleaned 169 points and an impressive average of exactly 9.00. His stint with the Welsh side came to an end on 22 August, when he netted 10+3 points in a National Trophy fixture against the Isle of Wight at Queensway Meadows.

Following that, he bade a fond farewell and departed Down Under because his six-month work permit had come to an end. He had ridden in twenty-one matches, scoring 185 points for an 8.91 average and his place in the Newport side was subsequently filled by the returning Tim Webster. However, Jones had clearly made an impression since he won the Hornets’ Rider of the Year award and, on 23 November, he was named as a member of the Wasps’ senior side for 2011.

Regrettably, he was to struggle for points at the higher level of racing and, after attaining a real-time average of less than 4 points per match, the club took the decision to replace him with compatriot Justin Sedgmen on 9 May.

However, just a week later, the Welsh club continued their team shake-up by bringing in Jason Doyle at the expense of Kim Nilsson. This meant a reprieve for Jones, as the Wasps needed to amend the bottom-end of the team and the Albury-born racer returned to the side in place of Alex Davies.

JONES, Steven Paul
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 September 1979, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
BRITISH CAREER: (1997) Lathallan; (1998) Edinburgh, Newcastle; (1999) Newcastle, Linlithgow; (2002-03) Newcastle II; (2004) Carmarthen; (2006-07) Cleveland; (2008) Redcar II; (2011) Newport II.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.33 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having first ridden officially for Lathallan in 1997 and represented a number of teams in between, Jones made what amounted to his third comeback to the sport in July 2011. This saw him link with Newport Hornets, as the Welsh club made the double signing of the Gateshead-born rider and Brendan Johnson to replace local boys David Gough and Tom Young.

However, although Jones netted 5+1 points – including a paid win in heat one – in his Hornets’ debut at Scunthorpe on 22 July, his stint in the side was to be short-lived. On 1 August, the Welsh club revealed that he had been released and Tom Young re-instated.

JØRGENSEN, Thomas
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 July 1992, Aalborg, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Scunthorpe.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Dane caused quite a stir when he netted 15+1 points from six rides for Team Viking in a challenge match at Plymouth on 9 July 2010. And he also established a track record time of 49.50 seconds for the 216-metre circuit in the opening heat of the meeting.

Nine days after those stellar efforts, he tallied 13 points to finish as runner-up to Marc Randrup in a round of the Summer Open Amateur Championship at Scunthorpe. Then, on 8 October, Jørgensen registered 14 points – losing only to Richie Worrall in heat fourteen – to beat a strong field and win the inaugural Rob Woffinden Memorial Shield at Scunthorpe, before signing on the dotted line to become a Scorpion in 2011.

Jørgensen was to prove a hit with the Scorpions, as he maintained an average of around 6 points per meeting over the first half of the campaign. And, on 8 July, in a home league match versus Leicester, he top-scored with a whopping 17+1 points from seven rides out of the No. 6 berth.

His remarkable showing on the night included taking the chequered flag in the nominated heat. Then, on 29 July, he went even better against title chasing Glasgow by netting a haul of 18+1 points from seven starts at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

JUUL LARSEN, Peter
DATE OF BIRTH: 8 November 1990, Outrup, Denmark
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-09) Glasgow; (2010-11) Redcar.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.18 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Dane always rides as Peter Juul. The speedster was signed by Glasgow late in 2008 and made just one official appearance for the club at the end of the campaign. He again lined-up for the Tigers from the off in 2009 but, after struggling for form, he was replaced by Robin Törnqvist late in May.

He returned to the UK with Team Viking Select in 2010 and impressed at Plymouth on 9 July, when romping to a paid maximum tally of 16+2 points. The following week, Redcar announced his signing initially on a 28-day loan as cover for the injured Stuart Swales. However, he was to remain with the club for the remainder of the campaign as things turned out, making ten appearances for 46 points and a 5.45 average.

His best performance at home for the Bears occurred in a league encounter against Scunthorpe on 19 August, when he registered 9+5 points from six rides. On Juul’s travels, the obvious highlight was an excellent haul of 13+3 points from seven starts at King’s Lynn, earlier that same month, on 10 August.

On 29 January 2011, Redcar announced the completion of their line-up for the Premier League season by revealing that they had signed Juul on a full transfer from Glasgow. As such, the Dane joined Englishmen Gary Havelock and Adam Roynon, Aussies Jason Lyons, Aaron Summers and Robert Branford, plus Czech Matěj Kus in a cosmopolitan side.