KARLSSON, Peter Gunnar
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 December 1969, Gullspång, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (1990) Wolverhampton; (1992-97) Wolverhampton; (1999) Wolverhampton; (2000) Peterborough; (2001) King’s Lynn, Belle Vue; (2002-03) Wolverhampton; (2005) Peterborough; (2006-07) Wolverhampton; (2009) Wolverhampton; (2010) Belle Vue; (2011) Wolverhampton.
MAJOR HONOURS: Nordic Under-21 Champion: 1989; Swedish Champion: 1989, 1991; World Team Cup Champion: 2000; World Cup Champion: 2003, 2004.
CLUB HONOURS: Premiership winner: 1992, 1997 [both Wolverhampton], 2001 [King’s Lynn]; Gold Cup winner: 1992 [Wolverhampton]; League Championship winner: 1996, 2002, 2009 [all Wolverhampton]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1996 [Wolverhampton]; Elite Shield winner: 2011 [Wolverhampton].
GRAND PRIX HIGHLIGHTS: Challenge Champion: 2000.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Gunnar Karlsson (born: 16 December 1947, Nybble, Sweden). Brother of Magnus Karlsson (born: 28 December 1981, Gullspång, Sweden) and Mikael Max (born: 21 August 1973, Amneharad, Gullspång, Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.78 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Aside from the club honours listed – mainly with Wolverhampton – the Swede also helped Poole to victory in the Craven Shield in 2002, when he guested for the Dorset side in all three legs of the final against Ipswich and Coventry.

The former Grand Prix regular had long been associated with Wolverhampton, spending many past years plying his trade at the intricate Monmore Green raceway and the circuit hosted a much-deserved testimonial meeting for ‘PK’ on 16 March 2003, when the Wolves defeated Kaparna 50-40.

He returned to their line-up once again in 2009, bringing a wealth of experience to the club as a true professional, whose riding style exudes bundles of class and charisma. Regrettably, he sustained a broken collarbone during the Play-Off semi-final versus Lakeside at home on 21 September, when he collided with Hammers’ reserve Stuart Robson in a spectacular heat eleven spill.

Karlsson – the Wolves’ skipper and a key rider – subsequently flew back to Sweden for urgent treatment in Gothenburg with a specialist who works with the national football team. Remarkably, the veteran racer returned to action for Wolverhampton in the first leg of the Play-Off final versus Swindon at Monmore Green on 5 October – exactly two weeks after his accident. And, showing trademark on-track craft, he helped the Black Country club cement the Elite League Championship a week later in the second leg at the Robins’ Abbey Stadium.

At the end of November, the Wolves’ management revealed that Karlsson was free to talk to other clubs regarding a 2010 team berth, as they were unable to accommodate him within their own plans. Subsequently, in December, Belle Vue were delighted to announce that they had acquired the services of the Swede, who had considered quitting the Elite League.

Having been delayed en route to the Aces’ home league clash with Poole on 17 May because of volcanic ash flight chaos, PK withdrew from the meeting with knee ligament problems after his first outing. He was subsequently involved in an horrific pile-up in heat four of the Aces’ league visit to Coventry on 30 August, when he suffered a shoulder injury.    

Having been plagued by injuries, it was little surprise that Karlsson’s end-of-term real-time average fell by over a point-and-a-half from the previous season’s 9.19 figure he had achieved with Wolverhampton to 7.44 with the Aces, the Swede having totalled 228 points from thirty official appearances.

His best performance for the term occurred in a league encounter at Eastbourne on 1 May, when he tallied 15 points from five rides, his score being enhanced by a 6-point return from a tactical ride in his third outing.

It had been mooted that he might well return once more to Wolverhampton for the 2011 campaign and, sure enough, in January the Monmore Green-based outfit confirmed that PK would represent them for a seventh spell, taking his career association with the club to fourteen seasons in the process.

The veteran speedster and club skipper made a blistering start to the season and this continued in Wolves’ league visit to Lakeside on 1 April, when he romped to a 5-ride, 18-point maximum; his tally enhanced by a full return from a tactical outing. And he again rolled back the years with a stunning 6-ride, 18-point full-house when Wolverhampton claimed all three Elite League points from a 53-42 win over Lakeside in the return fixture at Monmore Green on 2 May.

However, Karlsson crashed in Sweden on 3 May alongside Grand Prix star Andreas Jonsson. As a result, he was ruled out of Wolves’ trip to Coventry on 6 May but, although it appeared he had sustained a problem with his back, it was described as nothing serious. He was set to return on 9 May in a home encounter versus Peterborough, but that was rained-off and he subsequently resumed in an away fixture at Swindon three days later, showing no ill effects.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 49 – 19th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 330 – 21st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 232 – 20th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 35 – 26th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 2 – 36th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 6
Events: 14 – 5th on Sweden’s list; 19th on SWC all-time list
Points: 144 – 3rd on Sweden’s list; 16th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 5
Gold medals: 2

KARLSSON, Magnus Erik
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 December 1981, Gullspång, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002) Edinburgh; (2003) Edinburgh, Wolverhampton; (2004) Hull, Wolverhampton; (2005-07) Wolverhampton; (2008-10) Scunthorpe; (2011) Leicester.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2003 [Edinburgh], 2004 [Hull]; Knock-Out Cup Winner: 2004 [Hull]; Young Shield winner: 2004 [Hull].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Gunnar Karlsson (born: 16 December 1947, Nybble, Sweden). Brother of Peter Karlsson (born: 17 December 1969, Gullspång, Sweden) and Mikael Max (born: 21 August 1973, Amneharad, Gullspång, Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.68 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The youngest of three racing siblings made his official UK debut with Edinburgh in 2002 and, the following year, was a member of the Monarchs’ legendary side – that also included the likes of Frede Schøtt, Peter Carr and Rory Schlein – which won the Premier League Championship.

In 2004, he moved to Hull and helped the Vikings secure a glorious treble, again winning the League Championship, as well as the Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield. In both 2003 and 2004, he also ‘doubled-up’ alongside his eldest brother, Peter, at top-flight Wolverhampton, before joining the Monmore men on a full-time basis in 2005.

Having enjoyed a good first term in the Wolves’ famous colours, Karlsson’s average slipped back in each of the two following years and he decided to return to the Premier League with Scunthorpe, where he enjoyed an upsurge in form. The Scorpions’ linchpin missed part of the middle sector of the 2009 campaign through paternity leave and a knee injury, before returning to action on 24 July.

Later, following the Kenny Smith Memorial meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on 23 October, the popular Swede confirmed that he would again be lining-up for Scunthorpe in 2010. He went on to post a real-time average of 8.06 for the club, having totalled 353 points from the Scorpions’ full quota of forty official meetings.

In home matches, his best performance came in a league encounter with King’s Lynn on 7 May, when he notched a perfect 15-point maximum. Meanwhile, on the team’s travels, Karlsson’s high spot occurred in a Premier Trophy fixture at Birmingham on 4 April, when he tallied 16 points from five starts; his score on that occasion was augmented by 4 points from a tactical ride in heat seven.

At the season’s conclusion, Scunthorpe confirmed that the rider didn’t feature in their team plans for 2011. Berwick were quick to show an interest in Karlsson, although it was pointed out that travel arrangements – particularly the accessing of suitable flights to and from Sweden – would be the key factor in whether he joined the Borders club or not. And a move to the Bandits was subsequently ruled out due to the very problem of being unable to find airline connections that would enable him to honour any commitments to their Saturday race-night.

Karlsson had spent three seasons with the Eddie Wright Raceway-based outfit and appeared in 129 meetings for the South Humberside club, during which time he amassed 1,300 points in all competitions, making him the Scorpions’ third highest scorer of all-time.

However, the rider did return to the UK scene in mid-July, when he linked with Leicester as a replacement for Richard Hall. The former Swedish Under-21 international had resisted a return to British speedway and instead had confined his racing commitments to his homeland where he represented Solkatterna in the Swedish Division One League and Örnarna in the Alsvenskan League.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 1 – 16th on Sweden’s list; 142nd on SWC all-time list
Points: 2 – 16th on Sweden’s list; 147th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

KASPRZAK, Krzysztof
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 July 1984, Leszno, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003-06) Poole; (2007) Lakeside; (2008) Poole; (2009) Belle Vue; (2010) Lakeside, Coventry; (2011) Birmingham.
NOTE: Kasprzak joined Swindon at the start of 2004, but is not credited with any official appearances as he rode only in four challenge matches with the Wiltshire club.
MAJOR HONOURS: European Champion: 2003; World Under-21 Champion: 2005; World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2005; World Cup Champion: 2007, 2009, 2011.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2003 [Poole], 2004 [Poole], 2008 [Poole], 2010 [Coventry]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Poole]; Craven Shield winner: 2006 [Poole]; Pairs Championship winner: 2010 [Coventry].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Zenon Kasprzak (born: 10 May 1962, Poniec, Poland). Brother of Robert Kasprzak (born: 8 April 1987, Leszno, Poland).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.55 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Kasprzak’s stint with Swindon in 2004 was short-lived because of a crash in his homeland. This occurred in the Criterion of Aces individual event at Bydgoszcz on 21 March. He was initially replaced temporarily in the Robins’ side by Andy Smith, but that move later became a permanent one for the season.

Swindon did try to re-introduce Kasprzak following Rafał Kurmański’s tragic suicide at the end of May, but the BSPA refused to reduce his grading status and the move was vetoed, with the rider subsequently re-joining his parent club, Poole.

The Pole’s success in the 2005 World Under-21 Championship was bizarre, to say the least. Both he and Tomáš Suchánek were tied on 8 points apiece when the meeting, at Wiener Neustadt, Austria, was abandoned because of adverse weather conditions. Kasprzak subsequently took the title on the toss of a coin!

‘KK’ didn’t have a British team berth in 2008, but answered an SOS call to re-join Poole on a short-term basis after the club’s No. 1, Bjarne Pedersen, had sustained a broken wrist in the Craven Shield semi-final at Coventry on 2 May.

Kasprzak was a full-time Grand Prix competitor in 2008 and has regularly represented Poland in the Speedway World Cup, playing a huge part in their successes of 2007 and 2009. But, having enjoyed a good campaign with Belle Vue in the latter of those years, it came as a considerable shock in November when Lakeside revealed that the popular rider was linking with them for a second spell in 2010 in place of the previous season’s leading rider, Lee Richardson.

However, in May – in a complete turnaround – the club announced that they had agreed a deal for Richardson to return, with Kasprzak making way. This came after the Pole had been absent for an away league match at Poole on 28 April, when the Hammers suffered a humiliating 70-24 defeat. At the time of his departure, he had ridden in ten matches for the club that had yielded 94 points and an 8.17 average.

The Leszno-born rider wasn’t without a British berth for long, though, as both he and Lewis Bridger linked with Coventry towards the end of May, replacing Rory Schlein and Filip Šitera in the Bees’ line-up. The move saw Kasprzak re-acquaint with Alun Rossiter, whose management he had ridden under briefly at Swindon in 2004.

The Pole marked his debut with a stunning paid maximum tally of 14+1 points to head the Bees’ scoring in a 47-45 Elite League ‘A’ victory at Ipswich on 27 May; in so doing, he became the first Coventry rider to notch an unbeaten tally on his club debut for 34 years – since the legendary Ole Olsen achieved the feat for the Bees in 1976. And, on 4 September, the Pole brilliantly partnered Chris Harris to victory in the Elite League Pairs Championship at Ipswich.      

KK was key in a stunning late-season revival that saw the Bees grab the last spot in the Play-Offs. They then defeated Peterborough at the semi-final stage, before facing runaway table-toppers Poole to decide the title. After winning 51-39 in the first leg at Brandon on 27 September, Coventry journeyed to Wimborne Road for the return fixture seven days later.

They completed an astonishing transformation from early-term relegation candidates to Championship material on a stunning night when they overturned the overwhelming favourites – not only by defending their 12-point first leg lead, but also by winning the away leg, 50-40, as well. Kasprzak’s contribution was 13 points, as he sealed the fourth League Championship success of his UK career.

He topped the Bees’ end-of-term statistics with a real-time average of 9.02, having recorded 233 points from twenty-three official meetings in the club’s distinctive colours. When combined with his earlier appearances for Lakeside, it meant he had completed a seasonal tally of thirty-three matches, which had yielded 327 points and an overall average of 8.77.

His highest return at home was an unbeaten tally of 14+1 points from five starts in a league match versus Belle Vue on 30 August. Meanwhile, on Coventry’s travels, he bettered his club debut score at Ipswich by totalling 16 points from six rides when the Bees returned to Foxhall Heath for the ELB encounter on 12 August.

At the subsequent BSPA AGM, it was confirmed that Birmingham had joined the Elite League and there was great news for the Brummies’ supporters on 22 December, when the club unveiled Kasprzak as their new No. 1 ahead of the 2011 campaign.

Kasprzak officially signed his contract at a big football fixture after flying into the UK for the Premier League derby clash between Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion on 5 March, when he was on the pitch at half-time in front of 27,013 spectators as the home side celebrated their Carling Cup triumph over Arsenal the previous weekend.

The Pole began the season like a steam train for the Brummies, reeling off a string of double-figure tallies. The solidity of his performances was emphasised in a league fixture at Swindon on 21 April, when he twice stormed from behind to defeat Robins’ No. 1 Scott Nicholls on his way to 14 points from five starts, as he spearheaded a 51-42 success for the West Midlands outfit.

But, on 27 April, Birmingham Speedway was rocked by a ban slapped on the hard-charging rider. The Brummies’ top man returned to his home country after his domestic club, Tarnów, had told him that he was no longer permitted to ride in England. They claimed to be unhappy with his form in the Polish League and emailed Brummies’ boss Graham Drury stating that the rider was banned from riding in the Elite League for a minimum of two weeks.

Kasprzak appeared set to resume his Birmingham career towards the end of May, having been controversially banned from racing in the UK by his Polish club, a move that triggered an automatic 28-day British ban for withholding services.

Brummies’ boss Graham Drury had been understandably angry at the absence of his No. 1 rider and wanted written assurances from both Tarnów and Kasprzak himself that he was free to resume his career with them. Additionally, he requested a written guarantee from the Polish club that they would not repeat the move later in the season and Unia Tarnów confirmed via email on 18 May that they wouldn’t be looking to suspend KK again in 2011.

He duly returned to the Birmingham side in an away fixture at Peterborough on 26 May. However, a series of uncharacteristically below-par displays led to speculation regarding Kasprzak’s future at the Perry Barr club but, as June entered its third week, the rider believed his engine problems had been solved.

On 11 July, he scorched to a 15-point maximum to help defending Champions Poland win Event 2 of the Speedway World Cup at King’s Lynn. Indeed, Kasprzak was at the forefront of a powerful display from the holders, who finished 13 points clear of a battling Great Britain effort in front of a crowd of 4,950.

In the final at Gorzów five days later, he netted 8 points as the Poles defeated Australia, Sweden and Denmark to collect a third straight FIM SWC gold medal. Personally speaking, it was also Kasprzak’s third gold medal in the competition, adding to his previous successes of 2007 and 2009.

On 18 July, Birmingham confirmed they were no longer in the market for a new No. 1 – with the rider set to keep his place at Perry Barr. The Brummies had been linked with a move for Hans Andersen as Kasprzak struggled, but boss Graham Drury said that the Pole’s position was safe.

The enigmatic rider answered his critics in the best possible way in the Brummies’ league match at his former club, Coventry, on 29 July by romping to a faultless 18-point maximum – which included a tactical ride win in the closing stages. In so doing, Kasprzak showed exactly the form that had made him such a favourite at Brandon the previous year, when he helped the Bees to the Elite League title.

Kasprzak was embroiled in controversy the following month after allegations of having an illegal silencer in Sweden on 9 August, although he didn’t face a federation ban on him racing in any country. Brummies’ promoter Drury took advice from all the relevant federations in order to establish the facts – including the FIM – and they all said that Birmingham Speedway had no grounds to put any sanction on the rider.

Despite their earlier assurance to the contrary, Unia Tarnów emailed Birmingham Speedway on 1 September to inform them that Kasprzak had been suspended for what they described as his ‘unsatisfactory and very poor performance’ for the Polish club. That left the Brummies using guests in his absence to complete their fixtures for the campaign.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 15 – 47th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 87 – 47th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 76 – 42nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 10 – 49th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 1 – 42nd on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 7
Events: 13 – 4th on Poland’s list; 24th on SWC all-time list
Points: 106 – 5th on Poland’s list; 25th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 4
Gold medals: 3

KATAJISTO, Kalle Oskari
DATE OF BIRTH: 24 April 1991, Varkaus, Finland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Edinburgh; (2009-11) Edinburgh.
CLUB HONOURS: Play-Off winner: 2009 [Edinburgh]; League Championship winner: 2010 [Edinburgh].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.03 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Katajisto was recommended to Edinburgh by Kaj Laukkanen in 2007 and both riders subsequently linked with the Scottish side in July that year, amid a raft of team changes at Armadale. The young Finn was very inexperienced at the time, having only recently graduated to 500cc machinery, but he certainly showed plenty of raw nerve as he entertained the knowledgeable Monarchs’ supporters.

Having missed the 2008 campaign in the UK, Katajisto returned to Edinburgh for a second stint in October 2009, following Byron Bekker’s decision to stand down from the side. The Varkaus-born rider showed considerably improved form as he helped the Scottish side to victory in the Play-Off final against King’s Lynn and, with his low starting green-sheet average of just 3.00, it came as no surprise at the end of November, when the Monarchs named him as part of their team plans for 2010.

Some impressive early-season form was capped by a fabulous tally of 16+1 points when the Scottish side faced Rye House in a Knock-Out Cup tie at Armadale on 7 May. And, the flying Finn went even better a fortnight later, romping to a whopping 19+1 points as Edinburgh entertained Newcastle in a league encounter.

He had been due to represent his country in Event Two of the Speedway World Cup against Great Britain, Australia and Sweden at King’s Lynn on 26 July. But, the day before that, he sustained a foot injury whilst representing Edinburgh in an academic Premier Trophy encounter at the home of their fierce Scottish rivals, Glasgow. It was thought at the time that he had broken the foot but, following a visit to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, it was confirmed that there was no break.

The injury was sustained in heat eight of the meeting at Ashfield Stadium when team-mate Tobias Burch and Tigers’ Lee Dicken collided, leaving the Finn with nowhere to go. After a short break, he returned to action and managed to maintain an average of close on 8 points per meeting. This was key to the Monarchs securing a third League Championship success in seven years.

Indeed, Katajisto’s importance to the side was borne out by his end-of-term statistics, which gave him a tally of 352 points from thirty-nine appearances and an average of 7.86. Not bad for a rider who, in 2007, had averaged only 1.60 from eighteen matches in the blue and gold of Edinburgh!

On 29 December, the Scottish club confirmed that the Finnish starlet would be returning to race for them in the summer of 2011. Unlike their signing of Craig Cook earlier in the month, this didn’t come as a great surprise to the Monarchs’ fans, but nevertheless they were be delighted by the prospect of watching the exciting youngster for another season.

KENNETT, Edward (Eddie) David
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 August 1986, Hastings, Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Rye House, Mildenhall; (2002-03) Rye House, Rye House II, Eastbourne; (2004) Eastbourne; (2005) Rye House, Poole; (2006) Rye House, Eastbourne; (2007) Poole; (2008) Eastbourne; (2009-11) Coventry.
MAJOR HONOURS: British Under-21 Champion: 2005, 2007.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005 [Rye House], 2010 [Coventry]; Premier Trophy winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2008 [Eastbourne].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Dave Kennett (born: 18 April 1952, Farnborough, Kent). Nephew of Gordon Kennett (born: 2 September 1953, Bromley, Kent) and Barney Kennett (15 March 1955, Orpington, Kent).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.46 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Kennett comes from a family steeped in speedway as his father, Dave, and uncles, Barney and Gordon, are all former riders – with the latter famously having finished as runner-up in the 1978 World Final at Wembley. As a 9-year-old, Edward had given a glimpse of what was to come when he scorched to a 15-point maximum to win the British Under-16 Championship at Eastbourne on 25 August 1996.

Following arbitration, it was decided in late April 2009 that Coventry would pay a fee of £29,000 plus VAT for the transfer of Kennett from Eastbourne. This was significantly lower than the initial £80,000 and £40,000 price tags placed by Eagles’ boss Bob Dugard.

The Bees had reacted quickly to reports that Kennett was looking to move away from Eastbourne in order to improve his all-round riding by being based at a larger home circuit. And his arrival at Brandon very much continued the club’s policy of investing in young, talented riders for the future.

He went on to enjoy a fantastic first term in the Bees’ colours, bagging 376 points as he remained ever-present throughout the club’s forty official meetings for a solid real-time average of 8.58. At the end of December, the Coventry management confirmed that he would be remaining on board for the 2010 campaign. Although the season saw his average drop by just over 1-point per match, the Hastings-born rider remained a solid contributor for the Bees.

Indeed, he played a key role for the side who, despite being bottom of the Elite League table with no points from their first seven matches, as well as still being second from bottom before winning at Ipswich on 12 August, strung together a sensational run to grab the last Play-Off spot, before defeating Peterborough at the semi-final stage.

Kennett then netted 7+2 points in the first leg of the final versus Poole at Brandon on 27 September but, before the return match, his season came to a shattering halt. This occurred three evenings later as Coventry entertained Wolverhampton in the Knock-Out Cup quarter-final when, in heat five, he came to grief on the third bend and went into the fence with his machine, suffering a broken ankle.  

Despite having to operate the rider replacement facility in his absence, Coventry completed an astonishing transformation from early-term relegation candidates to Championship material on a stunning night at Wimborne Road seven days later when they overturned the overwhelming favourites – not only by defending their 12-point first leg lead, but also by winning the away leg, 50-40, as well. Thus Kennett added to his only previous League Championship success with Rye House in 2005.

His end-of-term statistics produced a real-time average of 7.25, the rider having gleaned 254 points from thirty-seven appearances. At home, his top showing occurred in a league match versus Eastbourne on 23 July, when he tallied 12 points from five rides.

Meanwhile, on the Bees’ travels, it was somewhat ironic to note that his best performance was also against the Eagles; that happened on 1 July, when he totalled 13+1 points from six starts – his score on the night being enhanced by 6 points from a tactical ride in the penultimate heat.  

Kennett had been expected to remain with Coventry in 2011 but, following the winter-long dispute between the club and the BSPA, they were late starting the season. Out of loyalty, the rider turned down an approach from Swindon and, to all intents and purposes, it looked like he would return to his winter job of driving heavy goods vehicles for his sponsor, Robins of Herstmonceux. Matters were finally resolved in April, though, and he was able to get on with the business of racing speedway bikes from his position as the new Bees’ skipper.

The Coventry captain scorched his first full maximum in the Bees’ distinctive colours, as the side belatedly made a flying start to their Elite League title defence on 15 April. Indeed, Kennett reeled off five straight wins with a series of fast times to head up a powerful all-round performance, which was enough to see off local rivals Birmingham by a 56-38 score-line.

On 6 August, the Coventry skipper scorched to a stunning 15-point maximum to lead the Bees to a vital 48-42 away victory at Play-Off rivals Lakeside. However, the following day, Kennett was charged with non-compliance of the 2011 Speedway Regulations by the SCB and suspended for a period of 7 days after his silencer was found to have been tampered with and therefore used illegally.

As such, the points scored by him and those recorded by his team-mate, Nick Morris (3), when using Kennett’s bike in heat twelve were deducted from the final score, giving a revised result of 42-30 to Lakeside. The Bees stated that under no circumstances did the club condone cheating of any kind and passed their club captaincy to Ryan Fisher from Kennett.

Kennett reacted quickly by issuing an official statement via Coventry Speedway on 8 August. It read: ‘Having just arrived back from Poland, I would like to make the following statement. I wish to state my deep regret and offer my sincere apologies to the fans, the management of Coventry Speedway, the sponsors and my team mates.

‘On Saturday evening [6 August], I was unaware that I was using an ‘illegal’ silencer. It has been brought to my attention that someone within my team had taken upon themselves to tamper with the silencer without my knowledge, believing their actions would give me an advantage. I am extremely sorry to my team-mate Nick Morris, who suffered as a consequence having used my bike in heat twelve.

‘I have taken swift action to resolve this matter and the person in question is no longer in my employ, however, I would like to thank them for their support and commitment over the years but I cannot condone cheating. This has been a most unfortunate and upsetting incident.

‘I would like to finish by saying that I love speedway and have been proud to represent my country. Being part of the Coventry 2010 winning side has been one of the highlights of my career thus far and I hope this matter has not jeopardised my future in the sport.’

Kennett issued a further statement on 11 August: ‘After the events of the last few days and with my Disciplinary Hearing coming up next Tuesday [16 August], I feel that the least I can do to help repair some of the damage this incident has done to Coventry, my team-mates and above all Coventry supporters, is to resign from the club with immediate effect.

‘Coventry is in my blood and I would not wish to do any more to harm the club or the supporters that I love. I know that I will be punished on Tuesday and I am prepared to accept whatever that decision is for the good of British speedway.’

The club issued their response later the same day: ‘Coventry Speedway would like to thank Edward Kennett for putting the club first, and for his publicly stated intention to help repair the damage done over the last few days.

‘Edward stood by the club during the winter dispute, which we will always be grateful for and, although the events of the weekend were a huge surprise and disappointment, we feel he has now acted in the best interests not only of Coventry but also of British speedway in general.

‘It is clear that Edward’s heart will always be with Coventry and his latest move allows the club to look forward and to make necessary changes for the Play-Off run-in. There is no doubt that having to operate the rider-replacement facility for a succession of Elite League matches is far from ideal and the club is currently looking to alleviate that problem.’

The Speedway Control Bureau issued the following statement regarding Kennett on 17 August: ‘Mr. Edward Kennett appeared before an SCB Court of Enquiry, held at the offices of The Auto Cycle Union in Rugby on Tuesday 16th August to answer charges that he used an illegal silencer during the Lakeside v. Coventry speedway meeting held on Saturday 6th August 2011.

‘He pleaded guilty to the offence, but denied any knowledge that the silencer had in fact been tampered with, claiming that a mechanic had altered the silencer without his knowledge. An examination of the said silencer had conclusively shown that a row of some 24 holes had been drilled out from 3mm to 6mm.

‘The Court considered a well-presented plea made on Edward’s behalf. The findings of the Court were that Edward Kennett’s licence would be suspended for 12 months, 6 months of which would itself be suspended for 12 months, thus effectively suspending Edward for the remainder of this season from all speedway racing, but making him available for the start of the 2012 season. He was also fined £2,500 with £700 costs. Edward has the right to appeal to the ACU Final Tribunal of Appeal.’

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 3 – 87th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 9 – 92nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 12 – 87th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 4
Events: 7 – 8th on Great Britain’s list; 51st on SWC all-time list
Points: 29 – 12th on Great Britain’s list; 69th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

KERR, Lewis James
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 March 1990, King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) King’s Lynn II.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.48 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: King’s Lynn made a change to their National League line-up in mid-June 2010, replacing Chris Widman in the No. 8 slot with the highly-rated Kerr.

The hometown speedster thus joined other locally produced riders like Jake Knight and James Brundle on the club’s asset list. The youngster had only started riding speedway in the winter months of 2009 at the Saddlebow Row circuit, having previously participated in moto-cross from the age of 12.

However, due to the lack of opportunities in that particular discipline, he fancied having a go at the shale sport after witnessing former moto-cross riders like Lewis Bridger and Craig Cook forging successful careers from it.

He borrowed an old bike from former King’s Lynn rider Andy Mountain for his initial skids and really enjoyed it, so much so that he purchased a second-hand machine for £1,000 and started appearing in amateur meetings and second-halves at King’s Lynn, Peterborough and Scunthorpe. In an amazing coincidence, both Kerr and the rider he replaced in the Young Stars’ squad, Widman, were both born on 25 March 1990!

Some impressive performances – including an excellent haul of 9+3 points in a home league match versus Plymouth on 29 August – saw Kerr race to an average of a little under 6 points per match and this led to a switch around in September, when he was elevated into the side’s re-declared 1-7. Meanwhile, Jake Knight shuffled the other way to assume the No. 8 slot in the Young Stars’ squad.

He was to make sixteen appearances for the King’s Lynn side, scoring 70 points for a 5.33 average. And, in February 2011, the Young Stars confirmed that Kerr would again line-up in their National League colours at the start of the campaign.

Unfortunately, Kerr sustained a broken ankle when he crashed in heat three of the Young Stars’ home league encounter against Buxton on 11 May, meaning a period of some six weeks on the injured list while he recuperated.

KILDEMAND, Peter
DATE OF BIRTH: 1 September 1989, Odense, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Workington, Coventry.
MAJOR HONOUR: World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2010.
CLUB HONOUR: Young Shield winner: 2010 [Workington].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.35 (PL), 4.16 (EL).

ADDITIONAL INFO: The Dane started early on the road to a career in speedway, first riding a bike when just four years-of-age. In 2009, he represented three clubs: Fjelsted in his homeland, Getingarna in Sweden and Polonia Piła in Poland.

After the season’s end, in December, Workington revealed that they had signed Kildemand – whose only previous experience of UK racing had occurred in that year’s Teesside Silver Helmet at Redcar – for the 2010 campaign. The rider had been recommended to the Comets’ management by Danish team manager Jan Stæchmann, who rated him very highly, indeed.

Kildemand sustained an elbow injury in a home league match versus Birmingham on 3 July, resulting in a lump the size of a tennis ball. That forced him to sit out an away match at Newcastle the following day. However, having returned to action quickly, the rider – whose style was likened to that of a spider – was to maintain an impressive first season average in excess of 7 points per match before sustaining another injury that again ruled him out of action.

Unfortunately, he was twice a faller in the Danish Under-21 Championship semi-final at Brovst on 24 July when, although he was able to finish the meeting, he suffered a foot injury that got progressively worse and a hospital X-ray examination revealed damaged ligaments.

He returned to action in the Danish Championship at Holsted on 6 August, but fell heavily in heat five after clipping the rear wheel of Morten Risager’s steed. That crash left Kildemand concerned that he had aggravated his ankle injury; however, he subsequently experienced pains in his hand and a broken bone showed-up in a late X-ray.

He was due to practice in his homeland towards the end of the month and returned to action in the World Under-21 Team Cup Final at Rye House on 5 September – scoring 8 points – as the Danes emerged victorious and broke Poland’s stranglehold on the competition.

Right at the season’s end, he played in big part in Workington winning the Young Shield for a third successive season. Indeed, in the final, they had to pull back 20 points against Rye House in the second leg at Derwent Park on 30 October, but won emphatically on the night, 66-28; Kildemand notching 10+1 points from five rides.

The Dane had ridden in thirty-three matches for the Comets and scored 254 points, which equated to a fine average of 7.27. Unsurprisingly, on 10 December, he was named as a definite starter in the side for 2011 and he was to showcase excellent form in the first half of the season to top the Comets’ averages on a figure in excess of 9 points per match.

Such form was noted in the top-flight and, on 16 June, he was named by Coventry as a replacement for an off-colour Richard Sweetman in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, alongside Travis McGowan. And, four days later, the Dane enjoyed a terrific debut in the Bees’ colours, notching 7+3 points from four outings in a home league victory over Eastbourne.

However, Kildemand faced a few weeks on the sidelines after suffering shoulder damage when he clashed with fellow countryman Bjarne Pedersen in a Grand Prix qualifying round at Lonigo, Italy, on 2 July. He made an aborted comeback from the injury in Denmark on 27 July, which made it clear that he couldn’t resume with either Workington or Coventry.

The Dane attempted another return on 5 August but, once again, his shoulder was unable to stand up to the rigours of racing. He finally returned to the UK seven days later, though, and represented Workington in a league encounter at Somerset, scoring 8+1 points. Later in the month, Coventry opted to replace him and fellow ‘doubling-up’ rider Travis McGowan with Piotr Pawlicki.

KING, Daniel (Danny) Robert
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 August 1986, Maidstone, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Peterborough II; (2002) Peterborough II, Swindon II; (2003) Peterborough II, Ipswich, Reading, Mildenhall, Arena-Essex; (2004) Ipswich, Mildenhall; (2005) Rye House, Ipswich; (2006) Mildenhall, Ipswich; (2007-08) Peterborough; (2009-10) Ipswich; (2011) Birmingham.
MAJOR HONOUR: British Under-18 Champion: 2004.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Peterborough II], 2005 [Rye House]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2003 [Mildenhall]; Premier Trophy winner: 2005 [Rye House]; Elite Shield winner: 2007 [Peterborough].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Jason King (born: 13 April 1985, Maidstone, Kent).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.78 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: King made his official debut for Peterborough’s then-Conference League outfit, the Pumas, on 25 August 2001, when he rode with his brother in an away fixture against Boston. He remained with the side at the East of England Showground the following year when, along with team-mates such as Chris Schramm, Adam Pryer, Ian Barney, Shane McCabe, James Horton, Danny Norton and his elder sibling, they scooped the League Championship ahead of Sheffield.

Indeed, King’s form was sensational in his first full season for the club, as he notched 172 points from eighteen appearances for an 8.87 average. Under the rules, he also represented Swindon Sprockets in the Conference Trophy, making seven appearances for the Wiltshire outfit.

Early in 2003, he featured in an £8,000 transfer from Peterborough to Ipswich and represented the Witches in the British League Cup competition. He also enjoyed an early-season stint with Reading, before having a run in the Arena-Essex side from July onwards.

King subsequently took up a reserve berth with Ipswich in 2004 and, a year later, also represented Rye House at Premier League level. He continued to make steady improvement at top-flight level, before returning to the Witches’ rivals Peterborough on loan in 2007.

However, after spending two seasons back with the Panthers, the 2009 campaign saw the British youngster return to his parent club, Ipswich. In his time away from Foxhall Heath, King had significantly increased his average to become an established top division rider. His resumption at familiar surroundings saw him cement his position as one of the club’s leading riders and he was handed the club captaincy in June, following the decision to release Leigh Lanham.

At the end of November, it was announced that King would again line-up for Ipswich in 2010. And, despite it being a difficult season for the club – who avoided relegation by defeating Newcastle in a late-season Race-Off – he was the only rider to remain ever-present throughout the Witches’ 36-match programme, scoring 296 points for a solid 7.39 average. He also made it all the way from a pre-meeting run-off to finish fourth in the British Final at Wolverhampton on 14 June.

At the re-shaped Foxhall Heath, his best showing for Ipswich occurred in a league match versus Lakeside on 5 August, when he tallied 14+1 points from six rides; his score on that occasion included 4 points from a tactical outing in heat nine. Meanwhile, on the Witches’ travels, King’s highlight was at his former home, Peterborough, on 30 April, when he notched 13+1 points from five starts; his total being enhanced by 6 points from a successful tactical ride in heat ten.      

On 16 December, Elite League newcomers Birmingham announced the signing of the Great Britain international ahead of their return to the top-flight in 2011. King was looking for a new club after Ipswich had decided to drop into the Premier League and quickly agreed terms with Brummies’ boss Graham Drury.

Regrettably, the Birmingham rider was hurt in Poland on 25 April and required a CT scan to determine the full extent of the injury. King suffered the blow in a bizarre accident before a race when his clutch arm snapped as he was performing a practice start, causing the clutch to engage and send him crashing down on his neck.

That occurred prior to heat three of a league match for Grudziądz at Bydgoszcz. Although he bravely took his next scheduled ride, he didn’t feel right and went to hospital where it was revealed he had sustained a fractured vertebra. They wanted him to stay for further checks, but King took the decision to return to England with his neck in a brace and have further tests, X-rays and a CT scan at his local Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

On 14 May, he started on the comeback trail by spending the day practising at Mildenhall and he was also booked in for a session with former professional footballer Paul Showler, who was responsible for looking after the players at Peterborough United FC, having graduated from the University of Salford. Five days after making his track return at West Row, King successfully made it through to the British Final after netting an excellent 11-point tally in the semi-final round at Sheffield.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
King has signed on as a reserve for two Grand Prix, both at Cardiff, Wales, for the 2007 FIM British Speedway Grand Prix and again at the 2010 event, but didn’t get a ride in either meeting and is still waiting to make his SGP debut.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 2 – 17th on Great Britain’s list; 115th on SWC all-time list
Points: 10 – 14th on Great Britain’s list; 99th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

KING, Jason Gary
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 April 1985, Maidstone, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (2000-01) Peterborough II; (2002) Swindon, Swindon II, Peterborough II; (2003) Arena-Essex, Peterborough II; (2004) Mildenhall, Rye House; (2005) Somerset, Newport; (2006-07) Mildenhall; (2008-11) Newcastle.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Peterborough II], 2004 [Mildenhall]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; Conference Trophy winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2004 [Mildenhall]; Premier Trophy winner: 2010 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Daniel King (born: 14 August 1986, Maidstone, Kent).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.66 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Both of the King racing brothers spent their early racing days in and around the grass-track scene. ‘Jay’ eventually progressed to speedway at the age of fifteen, making his debut with Peterborough in the Conference League in 2000. Moving up to British speedway’s middle tier, he linked with Swindon in 2002 and, a year later, joined Arena-Essex.

In both of those years, he also continued to hone his skills at Conference level. Spells at Mildenhall and Rye House in 2004 were followed by stints with Somerset and Newport a year later. He then appeared to settle at Mildenhall after re-joining the Fen Tigers upon their elevation to the Premier League in 2006.

For personal reasons, King was planning to up sticks and live in Newcastle after two seasons with the Suffolk side, although it was thought he would remain on board with the Fen Tigers. However, following a surprise encounter with Newcastle co-promoter George English and several subsequent telephone calls, he was to become a Diamond.

The change of track brought great rewards for the popular teamster and he never looked back in 2008. Indeed, he finished the season on fire to post a real-time average of 7.82 and also collected the club’s Rider of the Year award. Another solid campaign in 2009 saw him play a full part as Newcastle produced a late-season burst to rise from the lower echelons and finally finish third in the league table.

Having agreed to remain with the Diamonds in 2010, King was enjoying another sound season in their colours. But the club captain was in the wars during a league match at Somerset on 2 July, when he sustained a thumb injury.

That occurred in the initial running of heat ten after home rider Sam Masters had flown from the gate to lead. Behind him, Newcastle’s René Bach took a big lift and got completely out of shape on the run to the bend. As the Dane arrived at the turn, he skittled Rebels’ guest Jordan Frampton and King into the fence, and all three ended up on the floor.

Despite the knock, the Maidstone-born speedster still took his place in the Diamonds’ line-up for an away fixture at Stoke the following evening. Regrettably, though, the Newcastle skipper crashed in heat three of their league match at Glasgow on 29 August.

The upshot was knee ligament damage that prematurely brought his season to a close, the popular rider having posted a real-time average of 6.72 per match in his third term for the Diamonds, having scored 228 points from thirty-seven appearances.

On 14 December, Newcastle confirmed that King would remain with them for a fourth successive season in 2011, the Kent-born racer having become hugely popular in the North-East. It was an appreciation that was mutually returned, as he had made Newcastle his home and actually married into the Geordie life as well in the previous winter.

In February, it was reported that the Diamonds’ skipper had undergone a successful operation on his knee and that he would be fit to lead Newcastle into the 2011 campaign. The rider had sustained ruptured ligaments in his accident at Glasgow, but the club was confident that King’s fitness level wouldn’t be a problem come the start of the season.

However, in March, the club was rocked by the news that the rider was set to miss their opening matches of the season. King had been expected to be fit following his surgery, but medical experts confirmed that his recovery would take a further four weeks.

As a result, the Geordie outfit made an application to the BSPA Management Committee requesting a facility to cover for King, but that was rejected at a meeting on 15 March and necessitated the need to sign a replacement rider as cover.

The following day, the Diamonds announced that the incoming rider would be Luboš Tomíček, who had previously represented the side in 2004 and 2005. Newcastle stated that the Czech would be welcomed back by King, who very much remained the club captain. Regrettably, though, Tomíček struggled for points and was replaced by Claes Nedermark on 20 April.

King finally got back on a bike on 14 May, when he took part in a practice day at Mildenhall – along with his brother – who was also returning to fitness after a crash in Poland. Following a couple more practice sessions, he was declared back into the Newcastle line-up on 26 May. This came after the unfortunate passing of Matej Ferjan four days previously in Poland.

He made his comeback to the Diamonds’ line-up in a home league match versus local rivals Redcar on 29 May. Ironically, though, when Newcastle appeared at the South Tees Motor Sports Park for the corresponding fixture on 7 July, King was withdrawn from the meeting by the Redcar paramedic after aggravating his troublesome knee.

The Diamonds initially employed the rider replacement facility in King’s absence, before deciding to plug the gap by signing Joe Haines in early August.

KLINDT, Nicolai
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 December 1988, Outrup, Vestjylland, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-10) Wolverhampton; (2011) Swindon.
MAJOR HONOURS: Danish Under-19 Champion: 2006; Danish Under-21 Champion: 2006, 2008; European Under-19 Champion: 2007.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2009 [Wolverhampton].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.58 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Klindt was unveiled as a Wolverhampton signing on 28 August 2007. The hotly-rated Dane had been linked with Poole and Peterborough but, after spending a day with team manager Peter Adams, he agreed to join the Black Country side. Of course, he had previously ridden in the Wolverhampton side as a guest in the season-opening challenge at Sheffield on 15 March, when he scored 4 points in a narrow 46-44 defeat.

Klindt subsequently appeared at Monmore Green on 15 October, when he participated in the Banks’s Olympique, scoring 5 points and generally looked a fine prospect in a meeting that was won by Fredrik Lindgren.

His Wolves debut occurred a week later, on 22 October, when he was part of the side that defeated Birmingham 55-38 in the first leg of the BBC West Midland Shield. Two days later, he notched 4 points as the Monmore men forced a 45-45 in the return match at Perry Barr Stadium to take victory on aggregate.

Prior to that, there was glory for the Danish youngster on the world stage, when he took victory in the final of the European Under-19 Championship at Częstochowa, Poland on 19 August. The meeting saw him race to a 14-point haul to finish ahead of Jurica Pavlić and Filip Šitera on the rostrum. He also battled through to the final of the European Championship, scoring 5 points in the big event at Wiener-Neustadt, Austria on 29 September.

The Dane had first appeared in the UK as a sixteen-year-old in 2005, carding a 5-point tally in the Young Guns Championship at Poole on 3 August. He went on to ride in the Scottish Open at Edinburgh, where he accrued a fine 7 points.

Club honours came his way when he helped Fredericia to the Division One Championship in Denmark. And, in the World Under-21 Team Cup Final, he registered 5 points as Denmark finished in third position, behind winners Poland and second placed Sweden.

In 2006, he again appeared for Denmark in the final of the World Under-21 Team Cup and gave a brilliant display to top-score with 12 points, as his nation replicated their third place finish of the season before, behind Poland and Sweden. Klindt took victory in the Danish Under-21 Championship at Holstebro on 12 August in a meeting that was curtailed by heavy rain.

He had been due to face Patrick Hougaard, Kenneth Hansen and Klaus Jacobsen in the ‘A’ Final to determine the outcome, however, a crash in the preceding ‘B’ Final brought the event to a premature end. Klindt was deservedly declared the Champion because he had topped the scoring in the qualifying heats on 14 points. The year also saw Klindt make another trip to Britain, when he represented the Rest of the World in a challenge match at Swindon on 19 October.

The young Danish star is certainly a rider for the future and is tipped by many to be a Grand Prix regular in the coming years. He represented Wolverhampton for a second full season in 2009 and another term of progression culminated in the Black Country side scooping the Elite League Championship after defeating Swindon in the Play-Off final. And, at the end of November, his efforts were rewarded when the Wolves’ management named him in their starting side for 2010.

Klindt missed Wolverhampton’s Knock-Out Cup derby clash versus Coventry at Monmore Green on 19 July as he was still suffering from a shoulder injury sustained nine-days previously when riding in Poland and had raced through the pain barrier in the interim.

The day following the match against the Bees, he visited laser treatment specialist Brian Simpson in a bid to speed up the recovery process. And, having successfully come through the session, he quickly returned to Wolves’ line-up in an away league match at Peterborough on 22 July.

His season was to conclude early, however, after representing the side in a double-header against Eastbourne (Knock-Out Cup) and Swindon (Elite League) at Monmore Green on 11 October. This was because he checked in for surgery on his troublesome shoulder in his home country two days later. It had been causing him problems for a while and had clearly affected his performances on a bike. He had completed thirty-nine meetings for the club and, having totalled 265 points, achieved a solid 6.91 average.

On 13 December, Wolverhampton announced that they had released Klindt from their team plans for 2011. The rider was keen to continue racing in England and, as such, the West Midlands outfit alerted other teams to his availability. It was a tough decision for the Monmore Green club to make, as the rider had shown plenty of potential and enjoyed a solid 2010 campaign.

Following early-season problems at Swindon, the Wiltshire club announced the double signing of Klindt and fellow Dane Jesper B. Monberg on 17 April; the incoming duo took the place of the injured Grzegorz Zengota and his Polish compatriot, Tomasz Chrzanowski, who had struggled for points in the opening matches of the campaign.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 2 – 98th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 2 – 122nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 2 – 126th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 2
Events: 5 – 7th on Denmark’s list; 59th on SWC all-time list
Points: 35 – 7th on Denmark’s list; 60th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

KLING, Ricky Anders
DATE OF BIRTH: 2 June 1987, Virserum, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007-08) Lakeside; (2009-10) Eastbourne; (2011) Belle Vue.
NOTE: Kling also appeared for Oxford in 2007, but this is not credited in his career record because the club closed down prematurely, with all their matches expunged from the records.
MAJOR HONOUR: Swedish Under-21 Champion: 2008.
CLUB HONOUR: Elite Shield winner: 2009 [Eastbourne].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Anders Kling (born: 18 July 1963, Virserum, Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.95 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Swede linked with Eastbourne in 2009, having spent the previous season with Elite League Play-Off finalists Lakeside. An instant success on joining the UK’s top-flight in 2007, Kling’s progress was hampered by the mid-season closure of Oxford – the Cowley club’s unfortunate demise being a precursor to his full-time move to Lakeside. He stayed with the Hammers until the end of the 2008 season, when it was announced that he would be released on loan due to team-building constraints.

Having joined the Eagles, Kling overcame a dismal start to the campaign to finish with a real-time average in excess of 5 points per match. In November, the Sussex club agreed a deal to keep the Swede on board for a second successive term in 2010.

At the start of December, Kling’s parent club, Lakeside, concluded a swap deal with Poole that saw Daniel Davidsson join the Hammers, with Kling becoming an asset of the Pirates. However, his loan arrangement to remain at Eastbourne was subsequently both confirmed and honoured by the Poole management.

Riding from a reserve berth, the Virserum-born rider showed great form in the opening weeks of the season for the Eagles; this culminated in a blistering six-ride, paid maximum tally of 16+2 points versus Belle Vue in a league encounter at Arlington on 1 May, when he signed-off by taking the prized scalps of Hans Andersen and Peter Karlsson in the nominated heat.

In total, he made thirty-seven appearances for the Eagles – missing just one official meeting over the course of the season – and scored 199 points for an average of 5.44, prior to racing Down Under during the British close season. At home, he was unable to top his amazing performance against Belle Vue, whilst away from the pleasant surroundings of Arlington Stadium his highlight came at Wolverhampton on 19 April, when he carded 13 points from half-a-dozen starts.

On 2 February 2011, Belle Vue announced the capture of Kling ahead of their Elite League campaign. Poole Speedway – the Swede’s parent club – was keen to utilise the rider’s services, but couldn’t fit him into their team equation and remain within the 40-point limit.

The Swede struggled for form in the early weeks of the season, before dropping to reserve in May. Then, in the Aces’ Bank Holiday Monday fixture against Birmingham on 2 May, he proved an unlikely match-winner after wanting to end his meeting after three poor rides.

Team manager Jim Lynch told him he had to go out again and show some grit, because they needed him if they were to save the match against a makeshift Brummies outfit. Kling then made changes to his sprockets and was subsequently involved in three crucial 5-1s as the home team salvaged a remarkable 50-42 victory after trailing 29-19 after eight races.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Kling has signed on as a reserve for one Grand Prix, at Gothenburg, Sweden, for the 2009 FIM Swedish Speedway Grand Prix, but didn’t get a ride and is still waiting to make his SGP debut.

KNIGHT, Jake
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 August 1992, King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009-11) King’s Lynn II.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Richard Knight (born: 26 May 1959, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.29 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having made his official debut for King’s Lynn’s National League outfit on 10 April 2009, Knight was in the wars a little over a month later, on 21 May, when he sustained a broken bone in his left hand in a crash at Bournemouth’s Wimborne Road circuit.

The injury occurred when he fell in heat two and was accidentally run into by team-mate Rhys Naylor as he manfully attempted to lay his machine down. Whilst he recuperated, Knight was replaced in the Barracudas’ line-up by Ricky Scarboro. Once fit to return, that move was reversed, however, with Knight coming back into the King’s Lynn squad in place of the veteran Scarboro at the end of July.

In February 2010, the re-branded Young Stars announced that he would fill the No. 8 berth in the new campaign. And a change in May saw him promoted into the side’s declared 1-7 in place of Chris Widman, who was switched to the No. 8 position. Another amendment in September saw Knight shuffled back into the No. 8 slot, with Lewis Kerr replacing him in the 1-7 line-up.

He went on to total twenty-three appearances for the side, scoring 126 points for a 5.08 average. And, in February 2011, King’s Lynn confirmed that Knight would again line-up in the colours of their National League side at the start of the campaign.

KORNELIUSSEN, Mads Klit
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 June 1983, Aalborg, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003-04) Newport; (2005) Newport, Swindon; (2006-08) Swindon; (2009) Peterborough; (2010) Swindon; (2011) King’s Lynn.
CLUB HONOUR: Elite Shield winner: 2008 [Swindon].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Tim Korneliussen (born: 28 January 1968, Aalborg, Denmark).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.26 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The mega-popular Korneliussen first rode on an 80cc machine in 1993. He has family links with speedway, as his elder brother, Tim, was a former Danish Under-21 Champion and also had spells in British racing with Hackney (1990), Peterborough (1991) and Glasgow (1992).
 
The Dane was introduced into the Newport side late in 2003, as a replacement for the retired Frank Smart (who subsequently made a return to racing in Australia). He made his debut for the Wasps on 12 October that year, impressively scoring 8+2 points in a home league match versus Somerset. He was to appear in just four league fixtures, totalling 22 points for an average of 6.44.
 
Included in the Newport side from the start of 2004, Korneliussen knocked-up several impressive double-figure tallies in the Premier League, including 13 points at Edinburgh on 16 July and 14+1 at home to Berwick on 12 September. At the end of the campaign, he had appeared in thirty-seven official matches, scoring 302 points for a solid 6.95 average.
 
The ambitious speedster again represented Newport in 2005, but also became Swindon’s other ‘doubling-up’ rider, alongside Olly Allen. Regrettably, his season was disrupted by a nasty shoulder injury, sustained whilst riding for parent club Newport against Reading in a Knock-Out Cup tie on 17 July.

The innocuous appearance of his fall – as he crossed the line to win the opening heat – was deceptive and the severity of the injury kept the Dane out of action for a lengthy period during the decisive middle-to-latter section of the season.
 
Prior to being sidelined, he had been enjoying an exceptionally rich vein of form not just at the Abbey Stadium for the Robins, but at various tracks throughout the country. Indeed, he had followed in the footsteps of compatriot Charlie Gjedde to become a real favourite with the Blunsdon crowd as the term progressed, thanks to the combination of his big smile, witty sense of humour and courageously wide racing lines.

Season highlights included a magnificent 11+1 score in a 10-point defeat at Poole on 20 April and an 8+1 tally in a victory over Arena-Essex at Blunsdon on 19 May. His end-of-term statistics with Swindon showed a tally of 108 points from twenty-six appearances and a 4.14 average. Meanwhile, Korneliussen also improved his PL-level average with Newport during the campaign, raising his figure to 7.75, having recorded 290 points from thirty-five meetings.

After a successful ‘doubling-up’ season with the Robins in 2005, he made the bold move to become a full-time Elite League rider in 2006. Indeed, the Dane was quickly snapped-up by the Swindon management to fill one of the second-string berths and his contract was bought from the Newport promotion. A testament to the youngster’s ability was the praise he received from then-Robins’ skipper Leigh Adams, who was influential in bringing him back to Blunsdon for a second term.

Overall, Korneliussen enjoyed a successful campaign in which he added to his average, posting a 4.84 figure, having scored 201 points from forty-four meetings. For the most part, he occupied the often-difficult No. 2 position although the plus-side of this was that it permitted him to form a wonderful riding partnership with Leigh Adams, with the duo often registering heat advantages in the opening race of the night.

The Dane’s popularity amongst the fans continued to grow during the year, with his outright honesty and playful nature further endearing him to the Swindon public. The only negative to come from Korneliussen’s campaign was his lack of consistency, which could vary radically from a less impressive haul to a double-figure return. However, his first-class attitude, tenacity to succeed and willingness to learn meant that his progression up the speedway ladder undoubtedly continued unabated.

Remaining with the Robins in 2007, he began the season in blistering form from a reserve berth. His wonderful start to the campaign saw him move into the main body of the side in mid-April. However, he was to suffer the first of two injuries on 7 June, when he broke a hand in a home match against Wolverhampton after a defective chain had caused his machine to stop dead, sending him flying forward as he exited the fourth bend in heat nine.

Following almost two months on the sidelines, the Dane returned to action from the No. 7 position in August and again showed plenty of his early-season sparkle. Regrettably, his campaign ended abruptly on 8 September, when he suffered a broken bone at the bottom of a heel.

That occurred in a meeting between Holsted and Esbjerg in his native land, when the rider he was chasing, Patrick Hougaard, unfortunately suffered a blown engine, leaving Korneliussen nowhere to go but into the resultant carnage. Statistically, he had recorded 158 points for Swindon from twenty-eight appearances, yielding a career-best Elite League figure of 6.10. And the Robins certainly missed his presence in the latter part of the season.

On 13 December 2007, it was revealed that the Dane would once again line-up for the Robins in 2008. Following a reduction in the Elite League points-limit to 38.85 at the annual AGM of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, this meant that Korneliussen was one of only two riders retained from the 2007 side; the other, of course, being captain and the side’s out-and-out No. 1, Leigh Adams.  

Korneliussen was to appear in all but three of Swindon’s forty-one official fixtures, yielding 292 points and an improved 7.38 average. His best performances at the Abbey were scores of 13+1 and 12+1 points versus Lakeside and Belle Vue, respectively, on 10 April and 10 July. Meanwhile, on his travels, he excelled at Lakeside and Peterborough on 4 April and 23 June, respectively, netting 14+1 points on each occasion.

His best showing of the year, perhaps, occurred at Blunsdon on 17 August, when he partnered Leigh Adams in the Elite League Pairs Championship. The Dane registered 10 points in the qualifying heats and, added to Adams’ tally of 16, Swindon sailed into the first semi-final where they faced the Ipswich duo of Rory Schlein and Piotr Świderski.

Although Schlein won the race, the two Robins filled the middle order positions to reach the final. Amid great tension, they then squared-up to Coventry’s Chris Harris and Hans Andersen. However, although Korneliussen went on to win the race, the Bees got their tactics spot-on to keep Adams at the rear and win the silverware.

Following the season, on 27 November, Swindon made the Dane available for loan because he was unable to agree a deal for the following year. Korneliussen subsequently joined Peterborough where his team-mates included fellow Danes Niels-Kristian Iversen, Kenneth Bjerre, Claus Vissing, Kenneth Hansen and Henning Bager. He went on to represent the Panthers in thirty-two meetings, scoring 222 points for a real-time average of 6.88.

On 23 December, the Swindon management announced that the Dane would be returning to the fold for 2010. And he was to register 215 points for the club from thirty-three meetings, which equated to an average of 6.81.

Whilst he didn’t quite recapture his form of 2008 with the Wiltshire outfit, he still chipped in with many determined performances and happily reached the landmark of 1,000 points for the club in all competitions in September; thus he became only the thirty-second rider to achieve this feat in the Robins’ 62-year history.

His best showing of the season at Blunsdon occurred against Peterborough in a league fixture on 6 May, when he garnered 10+1 points from five starts. On the road, his best effort came in a league encounter at Ipswich on 17 June, when his tally of 12+2 from five rides was enhanced by a 6-point return from a tactical outing in heat seven.

On 13 December, it was revealed that Korneliussen had agreed terms to link with King’s Lynn on loan from his parent club, Swindon, for the 2011 season; the Norfolk side having taken the bold decision to step-up from the Premier League to the top-flight following the conclusion of the BSPA AGM in November.

The Dane slotted into the Stars’ line-up behind fellow countrymen Kenneth Bjerre and Niels-Kristian Iversen – both of whom he had ridden with at Peterborough in 2009 – as the club’s third heat-leader. Ironically, another of his colleagues at King’s Lynn was Olly Allen, who he had initially shared a ‘doubling-up’ role with in his first taste of Elite League action at Swindon in 2005.

Korneliussen was to prove a hit with the Stars and comfortably maintained an average in excess of 8 points a meeting for them over the first half of the campaign. This led to a deserved call-up by Denmark for the Speedway World Cup and he was an unlikely hero as he raced to a 12-point haul in Event 1 at Vojens on 9 July.

That helped the Danes to victory on the night ahead of Sweden, Australia and Germany, as they stormed directly through to the final. He was unable to repeat that form on the big night seven days later at Gorzów, however, scoring just 3 points as Denmark finished a disappointing fourth, behind home nation Poland, Australia and Sweden.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Korneliussen has signed on as a reserve for one Grand Prix, at Copenhagen, Denmark, for the 2005 FIM Danish Speedway Grand Prix, but didn’t get a ride and is still waiting to make his SGP debut.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 2 – 12th on Denmark’s list; 116th on SWC all-time list
Points: 15 – 12th on Denmark’s list; 86th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

KOÅšCIUCH, Norbert (Norbi) Krzysztof
DATE OF BIRTH: 28 April 1984, Leszno, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Peterborough.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.64 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Kościuch first rode for Unia Leszno – his hometown team – in 2000 but, due mainly to injuries, he played a peripheral role in the side until becoming more of a regular in 2005. During this time, he was runner-up in the 2002 Bronze Helmet (open to riders under 19 years-of-age), although his progress was halted by a freak crash shortly afterwards.

That occurred when he was forced on to the centre green in a meeting at Piła and suffered a split pelvis after hitting a tractor. And, he was to endure a further a setback in 2004, when a badly broken leg kept him on the sidelines.

He remained with the Leszno club, which races out of the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium, until the conclusion of the 2006 campaign prior to linking with PSŻ Poznań the following season. He made real strides in 2010 – with both Poznań and Örnarna in Sweden’s All-Svenskan League – and this caught the eye of British promoters with Peterborough winning the race ahead of Belle Vue to sign the Pole as a replacement for fellow countryman Kamil Brzozowski towards the end of June.

Having had his signing ratified by the Management Committee of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association and the Polish Federation, the Panthers’ management arranged for a van to travel across to the rider’s home in Leszno to collect two bikes and other equipment, thus ensuring he would be appropriately set-up for his debut in their colours.

He proved a popular signing at Peterborough and played a major part in clinching the Panthers’ Play-Off spot when he notched a career best 11+3 points in the club’s first-ever win at Swindon (from 26 attempts; 24 league, 1 KOC and 1 challenge) on 5 August.

Kościuch had to pull out of Poznań’s Polish Division One bottom four Play-Off encounter at Miskolc, Hungary, on 12 September due to an eye injury. Doctors informed him he would need several days to allow the injury to heal before racing again and that meant he also missed the first leg of Peterborough’s Play-Off semi-final tie at Coventry the following evening. He was fit for the second leg a week later, though, but his excellent tally of 9+2 points couldn’t prevent the Panthers from losing out on aggregate.

At the season’s end, the Pole had ridden in nineteen matches for the club and scored 83 points for an average of 5.04. He was again wanted by the Panthers in 2011, when they were late in getting underway following a winter-long dispute with the BSPA.

The Pole escaped virtually unscathed from a horror crash during a practice session in his homeland on 29 March. Although he was taken to hospital and kept in overnight, he luckily sustained only a deep gash to his forehead.

On 28 April, Peterborough produced a storming comeback to overcome table-topping Eastbourne in an Elite League encounter at the East of England Showground. Indeed, the Panthers recovered from 8 points down to eventually triumph 52-38; their win headlined by an impressive 11+1 points from Kościuch in a key reserve position, as he celebrated his 27th birthday in style.

The rider was taken to hospital on 7 July after suffering a suspected broken collarbone. He was brought down by rival Tomasz Jędrzejak in his second ride in the semi-final of the Polish Championship at Ostrów. ‘Norbi’ and the former Belle Vue racer were battling for third place in heat eight when they clashed. The following day brought better news that he hadn’t broken his collarbone, although he still faced time out on the sidelines due to a severe pain in his arm.

Late in August, it was revealed that Kościuch would be the man to make way for Michael Jepsen Jensen at Peterborough – despite registering a paid maximum tally of 13+2 points in a home match versus Wolverhampton just days before, on the 25th of the month. The Panthers said their decision was largely based around improving their away form, although they believed that the Pole did still have a future with the club.

KRISTIANSEN, Jesper Viftrup
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 July 1985, Givskud, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Stoke; (2009) Stoke, Wolverhampton; (2011) Plymouth.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.80 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having made his British debut with Stoke in 2008, Kristiansen lined-up in the Potters’ colours for a second term in 2009, a year that also saw him take over from the injured Joe Haines as Wolverhampton’s official No. 8 in June. His stay with the Black Country club was brief, however, as he was replaced in the role a matter of days later by Chris Kerr.

He made a total of forty-one appearances for Stoke, scoring 242 points for an average of 5.65. Meanwhile, for the top-flight Wolves, he rode in just a single meeting and failed to score from his solitary ride in their distinctive colours.

Kristiansen was unable to find a British berth in 2010 and spent the close season racing in New Zealand. His return to the UK was announced in February, when Plymouth named him as the final rider in their 2011 line-up ahead of their first season of Premier League racing at the St Boniface Arena.

KURTZ, Todd William
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 November 1992, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Newport II; (2010) Newport, Newport II; (2011) Newport, Newport II, Coventry.
CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Newport].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Brady Kurtz (born: 27 September 1996, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.66 (PL), 9.01 (NL), 3.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The young Aussie first started in junior speedway in 2004, becoming a member of the Cowra Motorcycle Racing Club. He also competed in junior rugby league and long-track racing, scooping an impressive collection of state titles along the way in the latter discipline. The highly-rated Kurtz netted 5 points in the 2009 Australian Under-21 Championship, despite suffering some heavy knocks in the meeting.

He was subsequently recommended to Newport by club legend Craig Watson and eventually took the place of Jaimie Pickard in their National League outfit in a June re-declaration. His stay was to last a month or so, with a view to returning the following term, and he was eventually replaced by Marc Owen in late August.

After the conclusion of the season – in November – Newport did indeed announce that he would return in 2010, when he would line-up in both their Premier and National League sides. He did very well, too, topping the Hornets’ averages on a 9.47 figure, having scored 254 points from twenty-six official meetings.
The only downside was that he flew out of the country on his return home to Australia before the end of 30 October and therefore missed the Hornets’ National League Play-Off final against Buxton.

Meanwhile, for the senior Wasps side, he recorded 152 points from their full quota of thirty-eight official matches for a highly satisfactory 4.88 average. His top return at home was a tally of 10+1 points from five starts in the Young Shield against Berwick on 8 October whilst, on the road, his best performance occurred in a league fixture at King’s Lynn just five days later, when he posted 7+2 points from four outings.

He had clearly done enough to convince the Newport management of his potential as, on 23 November, they named him as a starter in their Premier League line-up for 2011. And, on 31 January, the Welsh outfit also confirmed that he would again represent their National League side, too.

Then, on 21 April, Coventry Speedway was pleased to announce the signing of Kurtz to take the official No. 8 position in their squad. That meant he would be the Bees’ first-choice stand-by rider in the event of unavailability amongst their ‘doubling-up’ riders, Josh Auty and Nick Morris, at reserve.

KŮS, Matěj
DATE OF BIRTH: 11 July 1989, Plzek, Czech Republic.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007) Berwick; (2011) Redcar.
MAJOR HONOURS: Czech Under-19 Champion; 2008; Czech Under-21 Champion: 2008, 2009; Czech Republic Champion: 2010.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Czech youngster made a successful appearance at Glasgow on 29 October 2006, when he won the Heathersfield Golden Helmet. He was subsequently introduced into the Berwick side late in 2007.

However – just two days into his British career – on 9 September, the new recruit, who spoke very little English, awoke in hospital speaking the language fluently after crashing in a league match at Glasgow! This paranormal phenomenon is known as xenoglossy and the tale was actually included in many of the national newspapers. Suffering from concussion and a leg injury, Kůs didn’t appear again for the Bandits.

The rider agreed to join Poole on a temporary basis late in 2009, in order to participate in home and away challenge matches against Ipswich and Eastbourne. The Pirates had previously looked into the possibility of acquiring the Czech’s services after it had become clear that both Jason Doyle and Kyle Legault would be out of action long term, but Kůs wasn’t able to commit himself at that early stage of the season.

Having earned a growing reputation in his homeland with successes in the Czech Under-19 and Under-21 Championships, he went the whole hog in 2010, winning the full national title. And this led to him being signed by Redcar ahead of the Bears’ 2011 Premier League campaign, his signing being announced on 29 January.

After notching an impressive 8+1 points for Redcar in a challenge match at home to Workington on 31 March, Kůs really scaled the heights in a league match at Berwick for the Bears on 2 April, when he tallied 15+1 points from five starts; his total being enhanced by a 4-point return from a tactical outing in heat ten.

Other double-figure hauls followed, before Kůs blasted to a scintillating first-ever 15-point maximum as Redcar salvaged a 45-45 draw against Ipswich in a league encounter at the South Tees Motorsports Park on 29 April.

On 28 May, he made his fourth Grand Prix appearance as a wildcard in the Czech Republic round at the Markéta Stadium in Prague, scoring 3 points. And, the following evening, he starred for Redcar – recording four race wins in his 12-point tally – as the Bears secured a 47-42 success at the home of their fierce local rivals, Newcastle, in a Premier League encounter.

The rider was to average over 7.5 points a match for Redcar, but was handed a 28-day ban from British speedway due to withholding his services. The Czech Republic international missed the Bears’ home win over table-topping Glasgow on 25 August and was replaced by Berwick’s Kozza Smith as a guest.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 4 – 78th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 7 – 95th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 16 – 79th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 1 – 88th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 4
Events: 4 – 8th on Czech Republic’s list; 72nd on SWC all-time list
Points: 7 – 9th on Czech Republic’s list; 110th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

KYLMÄKORPI, Joonas Nikolai
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 February 1980, Stockholm, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Eastbourne; (2002) Ipswich; (2003) Arena-Essex, Eastbourne; (2004) Eastbourne; (2005) Peterborough, Coventry; (2006) Arena-Essex; (2007-09) Lakeside; (2010-11) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: Swedish Under-21 Champion: 1999; Nordic Under-21 Champion: 2001; World Long-track Champion: 2010, 2011.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005 [Coventry]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.95 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Kylmäkorpi received a 28-day ban from the BSPA in 2005, when he was deemed to have been withholding his services from the Peterborough side. He went on to see that season out with Coventry, gaining a League Championship medal with the Bees. After joining Arena-Essex in 2006, the Swedish-born Finn endured a couple of injury-hit seasons as the Thurrock-based club morphed into Lakeside in 2007 and 2008.

He was struck by further misfortune when he suffered a broken elbow in heat fourteen of a league match at Peterborough on 2 April 2009. Having recovered, Kylmäkorpi returned to action with the Hammers and went on to represent them in the first leg of the Knock-Out Cup final versus Coventry. Unfortunately, he missed the return match due to an operation to have metalwork taken out of his elbow, although he was credited with a winner’s medal after the Essex side had completed an aggregate victory.

Having been released by Lakeside at the season’s end, the stylish Finn subsequently agreed a deal to re-join one of his former clubs, Eastbourne, on loan in 2010. He was to enjoy a resurgent, injury-free campaign, which culminated in individual glory.

Having started participating in long-track racing in 1996 and twice being runner-up in the discipline’s World Championship (in 2006 and 2007), he finally sealed his first title at Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic, on 18 September, having led the 6-round series since round two. In so doing, he became the first Finn to take the world crown since Timo Laine had lifted the trophy in 1961.

Kylmäkorpi went on to help Eastbourne reach the Knock-Out Cup final and finished the season with a 7.56 average, having contributed 286 points from thirty-four meetings. As such, he was a comfortable winner of the Sussex club’s Rider of the Year award. At the Arlington raceway, his best performance was to notch a paid maximum score of 14+1 points in a league encounter versus Coventry on 1 July.

Meanwhile, away from the East Sussex raceway, his highlights were 15-point tallies at Belle Vue and Peterborough on 12 April and 30 August, respectively. The former came from five rides and included 6 points from a tactical outing in heat nine, whereas that latter total was gleaned from six starts.

It had been expected that he would return to Lakeside for the 2011 campaign but, during the close season – on 17 December to be precise – the Hammers confirmed that that wouldn’t be the case, as the rider had received a superior contract offer from elsewhere in the league. As such, Lakeside had received a transfer request from the rider.

On 6 January, it came as little surprise to the speedway world when Eastbourne announced that Kylmäkorpi would be remaining at Arlington. Eagles’ co-promoter and team manager Trevor Geer confirmed that the East Sussex club had come to an amicable agreement with Lakeside to purchase the rider’s contract.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 3 – 88th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 4 – 110th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 6 – 101st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 5
Events: 7 – 2nd on Finland’s list; 44th on SWC all-time list
Points: 60 – 1st on Finland’s list; 40th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0