LAHTI, Timo Juhani
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 July 1992, Kouvola, Finland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: Finnish Under-21 Champion: 2009, 2010.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: On 18 April 2011, Eastbourne announced the signing of the double Finnish Under-21 Champion as a replacement for Dawid Lampart, whose start permission had been withdrawn by his Polish club at the end of March.

The teenager – who was dead-keen to further his career – successfully came through a trial the previous day at the Arlington track in front of senior club promoter Bob Dugard, having been brought to England by Eagles’ Joonas Kylmäkorpi, who had won the World Long-track Championship the previous year.

Lahti made his debut for Finland in Event 2 of the Speedway World Cup at King’s Lynn on 26 July 2010, when he was excluded after a fall first time out and then ran three last-place finishes.

In something of a speedway oddity, Lahti was just a single day younger than the rider that Eastbourne had originally considered for the No. 7 berth, namely Taylor Poole, who ended up as the Eagles’ very capable No. 8!

LAMBERT, Simon James
DATE OF BIRTH: 21 February 1989, Boston, Lincolnshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004) Boston, King’s Lynn II; (2005) Boston; (2006) King’s Lynn II, Boston; (2007) Boston; (2008) King’s Lynn, Boston; (2009) Scunthorpe, Scunthorpe II; (2010) Scunthorpe, King’s Lynn II, Sheffield; (2011) Sheffield, Stoke.
CLUB HONOURS: Pairs Championship winner: 2007, 2008 [both Boston] and 2011 [Stoke].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.47 (PL), 9.13 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Lincolnshire lad took his official bow with Boston in 2004 and was also identified with King’s Lynn Starlets in that season’s Conference Trophy competition. He also went on to take third place in that term’s British Under-15 Championship.

He continued to be an integral part of the Norfolk racing scene in the interim years – in spite of an early-season injury that prevented him from competing in much of 2006 – being based at the Saddlebow Road venue at various levels of the British speedway scene until the conclusion of the 2008 season, as he considerably honed his racing ability year-on-year.

Having linked with Scunthorpe for the 2009 campaign, Lambert was also named as Peterborough’s No. 8 rider but, in May – prior to making any appearances for the Panthers – he was replaced in the position by Andrew Tully. He made a huge impact at the Eddie Wright Raceway to deliver a real-time average well in excess of 5.5 points per match for the Scorpions and, as such, there was little surprise in November when the club announced that he would be staying put for 2010.

But, after struggling to win races at PL level, he grasped the opportunity to regain some confidence by also joining King’s Lynn’s National League side in May; he returned to his home club after agreeing a deal with the Young Stars that saw him take the place of James Brundle, who had departed after deciding he was ready to take on the commitments of Premier or Elite League racing only.

However, having maintained only a 4-point average, Lambert was released by Scunthorpe at the tail-end of June, when the club elected to share a reserve position between two of the riders from their National League side, namely Gary Irving and Steve Worrall. He had made twenty-three appearances for the side and his tally of 86 points equated to a 4.04 average.

Within a couple of days of his departure from the Scorpions’ line-up, the Boston-born rider was snapped-up by Sheffield, who moved to replace struggling reserve Arlo Bugeja. He went on to make twenty official appearances for the Tigers, scoring 104 points for an average of 5.16.

With the addition of his earlier stint at Scunthorpe, it meant Lambert had completed a seasonal tally of forty-three meetings at PL level and notched 190 points for an overall average of 4.58. Meanwhile, in the NL with King’s Lynn, he made fourteen appearances and scored 164 points for a 9.26 average.

On 1 December, it was announced that Lambert would be staying with Sheffield in 2011. The rider, affectionately known as ‘Rambo’ by Owlerton fans, had been a big hit since joining the South Yorkshire outfit mid-way through the 2010 campaign and was delighted to be staying put with the club that had offered a lifeline at a point when his career had taken a nosedive. And, on 28 January, he was also revealed as the new No. 1 at Stoke, following the Potters’ move into the National League.

Lambert was to maintain a healthy average in excess of 6 points per meeting for Sheffield and, as expected, he was also one of the big hitters in British speedway’s third tier with Stoke. As such, on 18 June, he partnered his fellow Potter, Tim Webster, to glory in the National League Pairs Championship at Newport’s Queensway Meadows racing strip, as they defeated the home duo of Todd Kurtz and Jay Herne in the final. This represented Lambert’s third Pairs crown, following previous successes with Boston in 2007 and 2008.

LAMPART, Dawid
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 August 1990, Rzeszów, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: World Under-21 Team Cup winner: 2009; European Under-19 Team Championship winner: 2009.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Lampart was a member of the Polish Under-21 and Under-19 national teams, which took victory in the 2009 World Under-21 Team Cup and European Under-19 Team Championship, respectively.

In a highly successful year, he also won the Polish junior Championship. And, late in the season, the highly promising youngster linked with Poole as promoter Matt Ford rested a number of regular team members in order to try out some new faces in a series of challenge matches.

Early in March 2010, he was named as the final part of Eastbourne’s team-building exercise, following increased speculation surrounding the identity of their last rider ahead of the Elite League campaign. For much of the winter it had been thought that Russian star Denis Gizatullin would fill the last available slot in the side, having been the Eagles’ number one target.

However, with time increasingly at a premium, the continued absence of a suitably passed English Test Certificate – one they were assured on a number of occasions had been obtained – proved the critical factor in forcing the club’s management to concentrate their search elsewhere.

The Pole made a reasonable start to his British career, but sustained a broken collarbone when he crashed with Wolverhampton’s Ludvig Lindgren on the first bend of heat eight during a league encounter at Arlington Stadium on 17 June.

At the tail-end of the same month, the Eagles’ management revealed that they had moved to strengthen their team line-up by replacing Lampart with fellow countryman Tomasz Jędrzejak. At the time of his departure, the Rzeszów-born rider had scored 47 points from a dozen meetings to average 4.34.

On 8 February 2011, Eastbourne announced that the Pole would be returning for the season ahead. And with popular Czech Lukáš Dryml also named to complete the starting line-up, it meant that there would be plenty of familiar faces in the Arlington pits as the club sought to build on the superb team spirit that propelled the Eagles to the Knock-Out Cup final the previous year.

But, having ridden in the Eagles’ opening meetings, the club received notification at lunchtime on 30 March via the BSPA that Lampart’s start permission to ride in the UK had been withdrawn with immediate effect.

The letter gave no reason for the decision, although it was suspected that it was linked with the Pole’s struggles on English tracks during the early exchanges of the campaign. Eastbourne reacted by initially drafting club No. 8 Taylor Poole into their line-up, before announcing the signing of Finnish rider Timo Lahti as Lampart’s replacement on 18 April.

LANHAM, Leigh Stefan
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August 1977, Ipswich, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (1993) Ipswich, Arena-Essex; (1994-96) Ipswich; (1997) Exeter, Bradford, King’s Lynn; (1998-99) Arena-Essex; (2001) Arena-Essex; (2002-03) Arena-Essex, Ipswich; (2004-06) Arena-Essex; (2007-08) Lakeside; (2009) Ipswich, Newport; (2010) Newport, Belle Vue; (2011) Newport.
MAJOR HONOUR: British Under-21 Champion: 1997.
CLUB HONOURS: Young Shield winner: 1997 [Exeter]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Newport].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Mike Lanham (born: 2 August 1951, Ipswich, Suffolk).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.30 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Ipswich-born rider is not credited with any official appearances in 2000, because he crashed in Arena-Essex’s opening home challenge meeting against the Isle of Wight on 31 March and was to miss the entire year while he recovered from multiple fractures to his right thigh and a cracked pelvis.

Regrettably, Lanham suffered horrendous misfortune with his testimonial at the Thurrock raceway, his special meeting being postponed on no fewer than three occasions because of inclement weather, on 15 October 2004, 22 October 2004 and 8 April 2005. However, the event finally went ahead at the fourth time of asking on 5 October 2005, when victory went to Jason Crump.

After spending ten successive years on the books of Arena-Essex/Lakeside, Lanham re-joined his hometown club, Ipswich, as skipper in 2009. However, together with cuts and bruising, as well as a broken finger, he also sustained head injuries in the side’s opening home meeting of the campaign – ironically, in a challenge match versus Lakeside on 19 March.

That meant a spell on the sidelines, during which time he was replaced by temporary signing Morten Risager. After successfully coming through a practice spin, he was declared fit to return to the Witches’ line-up at the start of May. But, having struggled to regain form since resuming in the saddle, he was replaced in the side in late June by Robert Miśkowiak, with Daniel King taking over as captain.

Lanham subsequently agreed to join Premier League Newport early in July, when he took the No. 1 spot that had previously been held by Mark Lemon. Having quickly settled at Queensway Meadows, he was injured in a home league match versus Stoke on 6 September after tangling with Lee Complin on the third bend of heat ten.

Lanham was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital where initial reports suggested he had sustained a broken arm, however, his injuries were later diagnosed as a complicated dislocation of the shoulder which, although put back into place, required a lengthy period of recuperation.

With his racing over for the year, the Wasps’ management introduced Swede Kim Nilsson to the side in mid-September. Following the cessation of the campaign – in November – Newport announced that Lanham would return as club skipper in 2010. And, in early February, he was named as Belle Vue’s other ‘doubling-up’ rider, alongside Ricky Ashworth, after the Aces’ move to use Kyle Legault had been ruled out by a technicality.

During his recovery from the shoulder injury, the Suffolk racer’s pre-season preparations went well and, after the frustration of over six months out of action, he showed no ill-effects when he returned to the saddle at Queensway Meadows on 21 March, scoring 13 points for the Wasps in a challenge match versus the Welsh club’s 1999 Legends. His good form was to continue with Newport and he also replicated it in the top-flight, especially with a stand-out 13+1 tally for Belle Vue in a home league clash with Eastbourne on 12 April.

He was temporarily halted in his tracks shortly afterwards, however, following an accident in the Aces’ home league match versus Lakeside on 26 April. In heat four of the match-up, visiting rider Adam Shields clipped his rear wheel going into the pits bend on the third lap, sending Lanham crashing down in the middle of the Kirkmanshulme Lane track. Regrettably, he sustained soft tissue damage to his left arm, as well as hand lacerations.

He went on to head Newport’s end-of-season statistical run-down with an average of 8.30, having accrued 318 points from thirty-six matches. His best home performance was a haul of 13+1 points from five rides in a league encounter with King’s Lynn on 1 August. Meanwhile, on 9 October, he produced his finest away showing when going through the card for a paid maximum tally of 14+1 points at Stoke.

Meanwhile, he thoroughly enjoyed his role in the top-flight with Belle Vue, making thirty appearances for the Manchester outfit that yielded 184 points and an excellent 6.11 average. That gave Lanham a total of sixty-six official meetings for the campaign, making him one of the busiest riders in the country. And, on 5 December, the Wasps’ promotion was happy to confirm that he would remain on board with them as captain in 2011.

LARSEN, Kenni Arendt
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 June 1988, Odense, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008-10) Newcastle; (2011) Coventry.
MAJOR HONOUR: Premier League Riders’ Champion: 2010.
CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 2010 [Newcastle]; Play-Off winner: 2010 [Newcastle]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2010 [Newcastle].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.80 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Dane rides in his homeland under the name of Kenni Arendt, but in the UK he is known as Kenni Larsen. He linked with Newcastle towards the end of the 2008 season and was an instant hit, posting a real-time average of 7.79 from the Diamonds’ final four league matches. That kind of form made him a must for the 2009 line-up and he didn’t disappoint, carding an average of over 8 points per match from the Geordie side’s official engagements.

As such, the Dane was the latest in a line of top Vikings who have starred for the club, following on from the likes of Ole Olsen, Nicki Pedersen, Bjarne Pedersen and Kenneth Bjerre who cut their teeth at Brough Park. In mid-November, the club was happy to announce that Larsen would remain with them in 2010.

Larsen suffered a bang on the head when he crashed in heat six of Newcastle’s Knock-Out Cup tie at Redcar on 24 June. Then, on 23 July, he was in the wars again during a league fixture at Scunthorpe. This occurred in heat eleven, when team-mate Mark Lemon careered into the back of the Dane and ruled him out of further action on the night.

But the hard-charging Dane kept bouncing back and, on 28 July, he top-scored for the Diamonds with 12 points as they sealed an aggregate victory over Birmingham in the Premier Trophy final at Perry Barr.

Newcastle’s home league encounter with Edinburgh proved eventful on 8 August; after a coming together with team-mate Derek Sneddon – in which the Scotsman suffered lower back damage – Larsen was subsequently ruled out of any further activity on the night due to an elbow injury after a third-ride fall. Being a typical speedway rider, he quickly bounced back to maintain a superb average of 10 points per match and, on 26 September, he was crowned Premier League Riders’ Champion at Sheffield.

On the big night, Larsen and team-mate René Bach both qualified directly for the final after tallying 13 points apiece, with Edinburgh’s Ryan Fisher and Scunthorpe’s David Howe coming through the semi-final.

Bach required treatment after colliding with Larsen in the first attempt to run the final, but in the re-run it was Larsen who went clear with Howe working his way through to second place and Fisher third. Then, the following month, he was again a key component of the Diamonds’ line-up as they took victory in the Play-Offs, defeating Sheffield in the final.

Closing the season in style, the Dane helped Newcastle to win their third piece of silverware for the season, as they overcame League Champions Edinburgh in the Knock-Out Cup final. Larsen notched 12 points in the first leg at Armadale on 29 October and followed it up with a 12+1 tally in the return match two days later, as the Diamonds claimed a hard-fought 91-88 success on aggregate.

At the end of the campaign, he was narrowly edged out of top spot in the entire Premier League averages by Edinburgh’s Ryan Fisher, who posted a 10.01 figure. Larsen’s total of 523 points from forty-six official appearances equated to a superb average of exactly 10.00. And, on 6 November, it was little surprise when he deservedly scooped Newcastle’s Rider of the Year award at the annual Dinner Dance at the Old Assembly Rooms in the city centre.

The ambitious Dane linked with Coventry in the close season and looked forward to a new challenge in the Elite League. However, the Bees and Peterborough were involved in a winter-long dispute with the BSPA – part of which allegedly revolved around a new conversion rate of averages for riders moving up from the Premier League to the top-flight – and for a long time it didn’t look like they would come to the line for the campaign. Finally, a joint statement brought the matter to an end in April and Larsen was happy to represent the Warwickshire outfit.  

Larsen was a big hit with the Bees and was already averaging over 5.5 points per match in their colours when he top-scored with a terrific 15+1 tally, as Coventry comfortably dispatched Lakeside 58-34 in an Elite League encounter at Brandon on 20 May.

LAURENCE, Nicholas (Nick) Steven
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 June 1990, Eastbourne, East Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2006) Weymouth; (2008) Rye House II; (2009) Mildenhall; (2010) Bournemouth; (2011) Mildenhall.
NOTE: Laurence also appeared for Mildenhall prior to linking with Bournemouth 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: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Laurence was taken on board by Mildenhall in June 2009, when he became the club’s official No. 8 rider. He was to appear in fourteen official matches for the West Row-based outfit, scoring 42 points for a real-time average of 3.49.

In November, the Fen Tigers revealed that he would remain with them for the 2010 campaign, but he was left without a club when the West Row-based outfit unfortunately closed down in mid-term, after he had appeared in all thirteen official matches they had run at that point.

The Eastbourne-born speedster was able to kick-start his season in September, when Bournemouth drafted him in to replace Aaron Baseby. This came after Scunthorpe had been unwilling to let the Buccaneers name asset Richie Worrall in their re-declared 1-7.

Laurence had impressed the new Mildenhall promotion of Chris Louis, Kevin Jolly and Michael Lee at the Fen Tigers’ Press and Practice Day, so much so that when Danny Stoneman took up an option to join Dudley in May, they had no hesitation in drafting in the Eastbourne-born rider as a replacement for the rider who had been standing in for Cameron Heeps whilst the Australian’s vital paperwork was sorted out.

However, Laurence was to struggle for points and, a couple of days after netting a lowly 2+1 tally in a Knock-Out Cup fixture against Hackney at West Row on 5 June, he was axed from the side and replaced by Adam Portwood.

LAWSON, Richard (Rich)
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 February 1986, Whitehaven, Cumbria.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Redcar II; (2009) Workington; (2010) Workington, Wolverhampton; (2011) Workington, Peterborough.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2009 [Workington]; Young Shield winner: 2010 [Workington].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Steve Lawson (born: 11 December 1957, Workington, Cumbria).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.25 (PL), 3.15 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Lawson – the son of the highest scoring rider of all-time in the old National League – forged a successful career in moto-cross, prior to taking up speedway at the age of twenty-two in 2008. His two major achievements in the discipline occurred in 2003, when he became British 125cc Youth Moto-cross Champion and Moto-Cross Champion of Champions.

Having taken his first speedway skids in a practice session at Workington in 2008, Lawson burst on to the scene when he joined Redcar’s then-Conference League operation. Indeed, in a remarkable debut for the Cubs, he netted 16+1 points at Sittingbourne on 10 August, before going on to total 81 points from nine official meetings for an impressive 8.65 average.

Like his father had done back in 1974, Lawson linked with Premier League Workington at the start of the 2009 campaign, as he embarked on his first full season in the sport. He was subjected to a considerable amount of scrutiny in his debut term simply because his dad was one of the true legends at that level of the sport.

 That wasn’t really fair, of course, but in any case the youngster got stuck in and posted a number of eye-catching scores, which culminated in him playing a part in Workington’s fifth Four-Team Championship success in nine seasons at Derwent Park on 25 July.

However, not long after that success, Lawson was in the wars whilst representing the Comets in a league match at Somerset’s Oak Tree Arena on 14 August. In heat seven, home representative Mark Baseby collided with the Whitehaven-born rider on the pits bend and sent him careering into the safety fence.

The upshot was a painful back injury and a trip to hospital and, although he subsequently tried to ride through the discomfort, the pain proved too much and necessitated a spell of recuperation. Lawson had hoped to resume racing for Workington on 11 September, but was forced to hang up his leathers for the year on the advice of a specialist. Aside from the effects of his back injury, the season had seen the youngster suffer a couple of shoulder dislocations.

Having achieved a real-time average of over 5.5 points per match, just after the season’s end Lawson was confirmed as a definite starter in the Comets’ 2010 line-up. And, in January, he was named as the final member of Wolverhampton’s squad in the No. 8 berth, ahead of their defence of the Elite League title.

Lawson sustained an injury whilst making a guest appearance for Sheffield in a league fixture at Berwick on 14 August. He received the knock in heat eight, when he had to put his bike down after temporary team-mate Hugh Skidmore had fallen in front of him, but he landed awkwardly and suffered an injury to his shoulder. It was, in fact, dislocated but the track doctor managed to put it back into joint on the night.

However, he was very sore afterwards and also justifiably concerned because it was the same shoulder he’d had pinned the previous year. As such, he went to Warrington for an MRI scan and subsequently consulted with the surgeon who had carried out the operation. Thankfully, there was a positive outcome and he was able to return to action for the Comets in a home league encounter versus Berwick on the 30th of the same month.

Right at the season’s end, he played in big part in Workington winning the Young Shield for a third successive term. 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; Lawson hitting 12+1 points from five outings.

In total, he rode in forty-four official meetings for the Comets, which yielded 277 points and a 6.63 average. Meanwhile, he made just a solitary appearance for Wolverhampton, failing to score from four rides in a league match at Peterborough on 14 May.

Following satisfactory rental negotiations between Comets’ owner Keith Denham and Dave Bowden of Workington Town RLFC – the owners of Derwent Park – Lawson was named as the first rider on the club’s team sheet for 2011, the news being confirmed on 19 November.

On 13 April, Peterborough revealed that they had added the former British Moto-cross Champion to their Elite League squad. Lawson joined the Panthers’ set-up as a replacement for the injured Alex Davies, with a view to taking top-flight outings when fellow ‘doubling-up’ rider Dakota North was on duty for Somerset.

Workington overcame several injury setbacks to defeat Somerset 53-41 in a Premier League encounter at Derwent Park on 4 June, with Lawson piling up an impressive 17-point total. Comets’ boss Tony Jackson rated his performance ‘outstanding’ and said it was the rider’s second-best showing in a Workington race-jacket, following on from a tally of 18+1 points from a reserve berth back in 2009.

Then, on 2 July, he proved the match-winner with a 16-point haul as the Comets survived a mid-match scare to overcome Newcastle 51-42 in a league fixture, as they maintained a 100 per cent record at Derwent Park.

LEGAULT, Kyle Patrick
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 May 1985, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005-06) Sheffield; (2007) Mildenhall; (2008) Birmingham; (2009) Poole; (2010) Newport; (2011) Newport, Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOURS: Canadian Champion: 2003, 2004, 2006; Argentine Champion: 2009.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Fred ‘Hot Dog’ Legault.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.99 (PL), 4.20 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Legault has a good speedway pedigree, as his father, Fred, rode in Canada for many years. Kyle was to take his first speedway rides in 1998, prior to making his public debut at Paris Speedway in Ontario some two years later on 2 June 2000. The young Legault served notice of his emerging talent by sealing a first Canadian Championship at Welland, Ontario on 26 July 2003 and he went on to replicate that success at the same venue on 24 July 2004.

He joined Sheffield in 2005 for a first taste of domestic UK racing but, after showing early promise, he unluckily fractured a heel in a spill at Workington in a Premier Trophy encounter on 23 April. After returning to the saddle a little over two months later, he firmly put the injury behind him and went on to record a satisfactory first term average in excess of 5 points per match.

Remaining with Sheffield in 2006, the Canadian whiz-kid significantly upped his real-time average to 7.62, having recorded 356 points from forty-nine official appearances. There were numerous highlights along the way, as he helped the Tigers reach the finals of both the Premier Trophy and the Play-Offs.

However, there was to be heartache for the South Yorkshire side, as they lost out to King’s Lynn in each. At least Legault could look back on the season with the consolation of having reached heat-leader status and also the claiming of a third Canadian Championship.

He subsequently enjoyed a tremendous 2007 campaign with Mildenhall, as he scorched to 309 points from thirty-one matches in daredevil fashion to post an 8.56 average. The Canadian had a quiet start, but soon began to turn on the style for the West Row regulars, who enjoyed his on-track racing brand as much as his amiable character before and after meetings.

The only downside in a tremendous campaign was that he missed the final few weeks of the season through injury. This was after he had fractured his right wrist in his opening outing in the Grand Prix Qualifying Final at Vojens, Denmark on 15 September. Bravely, he went on to complete his programmed rides in the big event, but subsequent x-rays revealed the extent of the injury and his season was over.

Having linked with Birmingham for 2008, the man from Ontario unfortunately suffered a broken right femur, as well as nerve and ligament damage, in a spill during the Brummies’ home clash with Rye House in the Premier Trophy on 2 April.

The accident occurred in heat six, when he clipped the Perry Barr safety fence whilst chasing Stefan Ekberg and fell heavily on the home straight. After bouncing off the fence, he was inadvertently struck by team-mate James Birkinshaw as he lay on the track. He returned to action in early July, but his season was curtailed on 21 August, when he crashed in the nominated heat of a league match at Sheffield, breaking his jaw.

After regaining fitness, Legault rode in – and won – the 13-round Argentine International Championship during December, January and February, prior to linking with Poole for the 2009 season. However, he was forced to pull out of his debut meeting for the Pirates after three rides at Eastbourne in the Elite Shield on 22 March, having aggravated his leg injury from the previous year. In mid-April, it was revealed that the Canadian had had a successful operation on his thigh, with the steel rod being replaced.

In December, Newport announced that Legault would make his return to British racing with them in 2010 and, later that same month, Belle Vue revealed that he would also ‘double-up’ with them, alongside Ricky Ashworth. However, the move to the Aces was subsequently ruled out by a technicality and the Manchester-based club instead signed Leigh Lanham.

He was to enjoy a good campaign for the Wasps, but was injured in a league encounter at Stoke on 9 October. This occurred on the pits bend of heat three when he clashed with Potters’ Ben Wilson, sustaining hefty knocks to his hip and shoulder.

With his season at an end, he had scored 269 points from thirty-four official meetings for the Welsh outfit, which equated to a 7.92 average. At Queensway Meadows, his seasonal highlight occurred against Berwick in a Young Shield encounter on 8 October, when he netted 14 points from five starts.

Away from the Principality, his best tally occurred in a league match at Redcar on 3 June, when he obtained 12+1 points from a five-ride schedule; his tally at the South Tees Motorsports Park was enhanced by a 4-point return from a tactical outing in heat ten.

On 5 December, Newport confirmed that he would remain with them for the 2011 campaign. And, on 19 January, when Lakeside named their line-up for the season, the Canadian was revealed in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity for them, alongside Stuart Robson.

The Canadian was maintaining an average of 7 points per match, but was injured in a league encounter at Edinburgh on 20 May. This occurred in the nominated heat at Armadale, when he fell and sustained a very bad cut to the little finger on his right hand after it had got caught in the wire-mesh safety fence.

The Wasps initially utilised the rider replacement facility to cover his absence, before continuing their re-structuring of the side by signing Charlie Gjedde as a replacement on 2 June; the move closely following the signings of Jason Doyle and Justin Sedgmen. Four days later, Lakeside announced that – whilst Legault recuperated from injury – they had replaced him in his ‘doubling-up’ position with Ipswich No. 1 Kevin Doolan.

The Hammers announced a slight amendment to their ‘doubling-up’ resources on 6 July, with Doolan moving to share a berth with Kauko Nieminen, whilst Stuart Robson reverted to a role alongside the fit again Legault.

LEMON, Mark Ian John
DATE OF BIRTH: 12 February 1973, Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1990) Poole; (1991) Poole, Middlesbrough; (1992) Middlesbrough, Long Eaton; (1996) Oxford; (1997-98) Poole; (1999) Eastbourne, Hull; (2000) Oxford; (2002) Oxford; (2003) Somerset, Belle Vue; (2004) Exeter, Poole; (2005) Exeter; (2006) Stoke, Reading; (2007-08) Reading; (2009) Newport, Newcastle, Swindon; (2010) Newcastle; (2011) Newcastle, Belle Vue.
MAJOR HONOURS: Victoria State Champion: 1993, 1996.
CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 2004 [Exeter], 2010 [Newcastle]; Play-Off winner: 2010 [Newcastle]; Premier Shield winner: 2011 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Son-in-law of Tom Owen (born: 19 June 1951, Ormskirk, Lancashire).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.98 (PL), 5.51 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Swindon applied for a work permit to sign Lemon in three successive years (1993-95), but they were refused the necessary paperwork on each occasion. The rider finally earned a work permit after finishing sixth in the 1996 Australian Final, subsequently joining Oxford.

Having appeared for a number of teams in the interim, the speedster from Down Under was the mainstay for Reading in 2007, despite being hampered by a long-term nasal problem, which required corrective surgery in September. In 2008, Lemon was named as Poole’s No. 8 rider in a late-season switch in place of Jordan Frampton but, in the event, he wasn’t called into action by the Dorset side.

Having joined Newport as skipper in 2009, ‘Lemo’ was axed at the beginning of July, when a shake-up to the side saw his place filled by Leigh Lanham. The Aussie – in his testimonial year – wasn’t on the sidelines for long, though, being quickly snapped-up to fill a gap created by the release of Craig Branney at Newcastle in a move that worked wonders for the rider’s form, as he put together a string of tall scores. Later that month, he also finally linked with Swindon in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity in place of Cory Gathercole, who was switched to the Wiltshire club’s No. 8 position.

Lemon’s testimonial meeting duly went ahead at Somerset on 18 September, when an Australian Select defeated a Rest of the World Select 50-43. Although not officially credited with it, he helped Workington win the Young Shield in late October, appearing in both legs of the final against Rye House as a guest for the injured Kevin Doolan. Ending the season on a high, the Aussie collected Newcastle’s Rider of the Year award, having helped them leap from twelfth spot in the table to an extremely satisfying third place in the final standings.

There was little surprise in mid-November, when the Diamonds announced that Lemon would be remaining with them for 2010. He subsequently returned Down Under to participate in the Australian Championship but, in the first round at Gillman on 2 January, he fell heavily in heat twelve.

It was thought that he had only suffered bruising and the gritty rider duly participated in the second round at Mildura the following day, only to crash out in his opening race. It was subsequently diagnosed that he had sustained a crushed vertebra at Gillman, although Lemon was confident that – after a course of physiotherapy – he would be fit for the start of the British season with Newcastle.

Indeed he was, as he took his place in a practice session on 14 March and at the Diamonds’ Press Day twenty-four hours later and showed no ill effects of the injury. He was to enjoy an excellent campaign, too, maintaining an average in excess of 9.5 points a match and helping the Diamonds to victory over Birmingham in the Premier Trophy final.

The Geordie club also reached the final of the Play-Offs against Sheffield, but Lemon crashed out in heat thirteen of the first leg at Owlerton on 14 October, breaking a glenoid cup in his shoulder. He was to miss the return leg, when Stuart Robson was a superb guest replacement as Newcastle sealed their second trophy of the term.  

The gritty Aussie actually put the joint back in himself after the accident at Sheffield and – after visiting his doctor the following day – hopes were high that he might have been able to return to action for the Diamonds in the Knock-Out Cup final at Edinburgh on 22 October. However, those hopes were dashed when, a couple of days later, the shoulder popped out again at home and he required an operation for a full shoulder restructure.

Although that brought his season to a sudden end, Lemon comfortably filled a place in the overall top ten of the Premier League’s biggest hitters with a real-time average of 9.38, having notched 495 points from forty-six official appearances.    

On 24 November, it was revealed that the Victorian had completed a full transfer that saw him become a Newcastle asset ahead of the 2011 Premier League campaign. The experienced Australian had ridden for the Diamonds on loan from Poole during the previous two seasons and officials of the Geordie club were delighted to have purchased his contract outright.

Then, on 24 March, Belle Vue announced that they had made an amendment to their ‘doubling-up’ department, with Lemon replacing Jordan Frampton, who was yet to turn a wheel for the club. This came about because Aces’ Polish recruit Tomasz Piszcz had his starting average re-assessed at 3.49, giving the team an extra 1.4 points and, with that in mind, the club moved to make last minute changes.

However, when Piszcz quit Belle Vue after half-a-dozen leagues matches and was replaced by Dawid Stachyra, it meant a recall for Frampton in place of Lemon in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity alongside Charlie Gjedde. This occurred before the Aussie had turned a wheel for the Aces.

The Aussie had begun the season with a string of typically tall scores for Newcastle, but he sustained a broken collarbone when the Diamonds entertained Glasgow in a Premier League encounter played out before the cameras of Sky Sports on 25 April. This occurred in heat six of the match, when Tigers’ Josh Grajczonek shot hard inside Lemon with the two Aussie riders falling heavily.

The collar-bone (or clavicle), which had three clear breaks and would never have healed by itself, was subsequently plated at Euxton Hall Hospital by surgeon Peter Hughes, who also looked after all the top international rugby players. The damage was plated with seven screws and Lemon targeted a fairly swift return to action, making his comeback to the Newcastle line-up in a home league match versus local rivals Redcar on 29 May.

Newcastle had been dogged by a series of bizarre strikes of bad luck during the campaign and that unenviable record continued when Lemon returned to the sidelines under freak circumstances. The Aussie had been suffering from an uncomfortable amount of pain and discomfort since his return to the side.

As such, on 13 June, he travelled to see his specialist to have his shoulder and neck examined, only for that investigation to identify a new, fresh break in the collarbone, next to where the plate was inserted from his last three-way break.

Whilst the initial breaks had healed completely, it was believed that the pressure and stress placed on the collarbone in the area of the plate had caused a new break to appear, leaving a devastated Lemon facing another enforced spell out of the saddle.

As the month came to a close, Newcastle were rocked by the news that Lemon’s collarbone injury was worse than first feared, meaning that the experienced Australian would be out of action for a considerable period of time. Following extensive medical investigations by his specialist, it was discovered that an infection had developed within the area of the metalwork in his shoulder, which had caused the secondary break.

The rider was advised – and sensibly agreed – that in order to avoid any further long-term set-backs, he would undergo further surgery to remove the pins, screws and plate. Following recuperation, he again returned to the Diamonds’ line-up in an away league match at Plymouth on 9 September, scoring 9 points.

Shortly afterwards, Lemon was drafted into the Belle Vue side in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, replacing Morten Risager who had previously filled the role.

LINDGREN, Jan Fredrik (Freddie)
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 September 1985, Örebro, Närke, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003-11) Wolverhampton.
MAJOR HONOURS: Swedish Under-21 Champion: 2003, 2004; Elite Open Riders’ Championship: 2010.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2009 [Wolverhampton], Elite Shield winner: 2010, 2011 [both Wolverhampton].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Tommy Lindgren (born: 19 November 1966, Östersund, Jämtland, Sweden). Brother of Ludvig Lindgren (born: 23 September 1990, Örebro, Närke, Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.87 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider has always universally been known by his second name of Fredrik (or Freddie) and is the son of former rider, Tommy who – aside from conventional speedway – also participated in ice racing. Fredrik first rode on 80cc mini-bikes in the mid-1990s and he quickly became proficient, too; eventually going on to become Swedish 80cc Champion in 1999.

His initial taste of domestic British racing occurred with Wolverhampton in 2003, when he was a late-season arrival, riding for the club in two British League Cup meetings and just one in the Elite League. He also raced in the Ladbroke Olympique on 20 October that year and impressed greatly on his way to a 6-point total.

Prior to his arrival on the Monmore scene, he had recorded a superb victory in the Swedish Under-21 Championship at Hagfors on 1 August, when he notched 14 points to finish ahead of Peter Ljung and Jonas Davidsson on the podium. Lindgren completed his studies in the first part of 2004, prior to linking with Wolves as a replacement for Eric Carrillo early in June.

He was to enjoy an excellent stint with the club, which culminated in 183 points and a healthy 6.43 average from twenty-five official appearances. The year also saw him replicate his success of the previous season in the Swedish Under-21 Championship at Målilla on 2 July, when he held his nerve to defeat Antonio Lindbäck in a title run-off after both had tallied 13 points.

In 2005, Lindgren was a member of the Wolverhampton side from the off and he enjoyed a great term of racing to post a 7.37 average, having notched 341 points from forty-one meetings. Individually, he finished third behind Charlie Gjedde and Mikael Max in the Midland Open Championship at Monmore Green on 13 June, before taking a glorious victory in the Banks’s Olympique on 10 October, when he brilliantly beat Hans Andersen in a title run-off.

His growing reputation saw him earn a place in Sweden’s World Cup squad and, after netting 9 points as his nation negotiated the opening round at Eskilstuna, he scored 7 points in the final at Wrocław four days later on 6 August. The Swedes, however, had to be satisfied with second place behind a dominant Polish quintet, who made full use of their home advantage.

Lindgren continued his rapid rise in 2006, achieving an 8.11 average for the Wolves, courtesy of 405 points from forty-five matches. His year included a 7-point tally as the wildcard in the Swedish GP and a second-place finish in the Banks’s Olympique. For a second time, he also helped Sweden to reach the final of the Speedway World Cup, but they again had to settle for the runner-up position, on this occasion behind Denmark, in the final at Reading on 22 July.

He put together another fine season for the Wolves in 2007, ending the campaign with an improved 8.28 average. On the individual front, he showcased his talent by scooping a brilliant third spot in the Swedish Grand Prix on 26 May, when he appeared as the wildcard entrant. And, concluding the year in style, on 15 October he took a second victory in the prestigious Banks’s Olympique at the Monmore raceway.

Another great season in 2008 saw the Swede again raise his average and he was also a regular in the Grand Prix series, finishing tenth overall with 73 points. In the World Cup, Lindgren was the top scorer in the final at Vojens, Denmark, on 19 July, but his wonderful 16-point haul wasn’t sufficient to elevate his country beyond third place, behind the host nation and Poland.

The Swede had long-since become a real fans’ favourite on the Wolverhampton terraces – having shown great commitment towards the club – and in 2009, he formed a dynamic late-match pairing for the club with compatriot and captain Peter Karlsson, which ultimately led the Black Country side to the Elite League title courtesy of victory over Swindon in the Play-Off final.

As a measure of his sheer consistency, Lindgren also wrestled top spot in the overall top-flight averages from the legendary Leigh Adams, having carded a terrific real-time figure of 10.64. Capping a fine campaign, he posted a third success in the Bank’s Olympique at Monmore Green on 19 October.

In November, he was handed a wildcard for the 2010 Grand Prix series and, at the end of the month, Wolverhampton were delighted to announce that the super Swede had agreed a new deal to once again remain with them. In December, the Örebro-born speedster also won the highly coveted Elite League Rider of the Year award at the annual Speedway Riders’ Association ceremony.

Another excellent campaign again saw Lindgren at the pinnacle of the entire Elite League averages, but his season certainly wasn’t without incident, as he lost control and crashed heavily on the pits bend of heat five during Wolves’ league match at Swindon on 2 September. He was hit by closely following team-mate Ty Proctor and, having sustained facial injuries, took no further part in the meeting.

As a result, he was unable to represent the Monmore men in the Elite League Pairs Championship at Ipswich two days later. And he was in the wars again during the Nordic Grand Prix at Vojens, Denmark, on the 11th of the month when, in heat three, he took a heavy tumble after locking-up whilst putting Nicki Pedersen under pressure for second place. He landed heavily on his back and – after the meeting – a large bump was clearly visible on the side of his face.
 
Lindgren went on to take the final Super7even title of the season with victory in the Elite Open Riders’ Championship at Peterborough on 16 October after getting the better of Coventry’s Chris Harris in a terrific battle in the final. And he rounded out the season in style two nights later at Monmore Green by continuing his love affair with the Banks’s Olympique, as he claimed a fourth victory in the prestigious event.

The final statistics for the season gave Lindgren a real-time average of 10.23, the Swede having garnered 483.5 points from forty-one official appearances for the Monmore men. That was sufficient for him to once more head the entire top-flight averages, ahead of Swindon’s Leigh Adams (9.90) and Peterborough’s Kenneth Bjerre (9.62).

On 20 December – after the Swedish superstar had returned to his homeland from a 3-week holiday in Australia – Wolverhampton confirmed that Lindgren was virtually certain to remain at Monmore Green in 2011. The rider was set to fly into England the following month to put the finishing touches to his contract, which would see him extend his long association with the club dating back to the tail-end of September 2003.

He duly jetted into the UK for an engagement as a guest of the club’s sponsors, Parrys International, at their open day on 9 January and, twenty-four hours later, the Wolves were delighted to announce that they had agreed a new deal with their ace rider.

Lindgren proved to be the class act of the field in Mark Loram’s Farewell meeting at Poole on 30 March. The Swede stormed from the tapes to win the final from the Australian trio of Davey Watt, Jason Crump and Chris Holder, as Loram brought the curtain down on a glittering career with a six-lap demonstration in front of an appreciative large crowd.

The Swede was to post an average of almost 10 points per meeting over the first half of the campaign, but was injured in Wolverhampton’s home league match versus Lakeside on 1 August. The hugely popular rider crashed heavily in the first race and was kept under observation in New Cross Hospital after taking a bad bang to the head and also suffering pains in his neck and back, although he did have full movement.

The news was positive the following day, as Lindgren had made a significant improvement overnight and was able to walk around unaided. However, although he had regained consciousness, he was confused and couldn’t remember anything about the incident. He was to make a full recovery after a period of recuperation, though, and duly returned to Wolves’ line-up in a home league match versus Peterborough on 22 August.  

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 44 – 21st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 341 – 20th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 239 – 18th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 37 – 24th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 6 – 22nd on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 7
Events: 18 – 2nd on Sweden’s list; 11th on SWC all-time list
Points: 176.5 – 2nd on Sweden’s list; 11th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 6
Gold medals: 0

LINDGREN, Ludvig
DATE OF BIRTH: 23 September 1990, Örebro, Närke, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Wolverhampton; (2009) Birmingham; (2010) Wolverhampton; (2011) Wolverhampton, Berwick.
MAJOR HONOUR: European Under-19 Team Champion: 2008.
CLUB HONOURS: Elite Shield winner: 2010, 2011 [both Wolverhampton].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Tommy Lindgren (born: 19 November 1966, Östersund, Jämtland, Sweden). Brother of Fredrik Lindgren (born: 15 September 1985, Örebro, Närke, Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.50 (EL), 7.27 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The younger of the racing brothers linked with Wolverhampton late in the 2008 season, appearing in just eight official meetings for the Black Country club. A switch to the Premier League for 2009 saw him complete his first full British term in the colours of Birmingham, for whom he enjoyed a solid campaign to post a real-time average of close on 7 points per match. In November, it was revealed that the Swede was is in talks with an Elite League club after ruling himself out of a return to Perry Barr.

Lindgren had agreed a Polish League contract, which would make him unavailable for the Brummies’ Sunday fixtures. Birmingham stressed, however, that he would remain an asset of the club. At the end of November, it was announced that he would again be linking with his elder sibling, Fredrik, at Wolverhampton for a full term of top-flight racing in 2010.

And he was to produce some eye-catching performances as he maintained an average of over 5 points a match, none more so than at Swindon on 2 September, when he superbly amassed 13+3 points. The season’s statistical run-down gave Lindgren a tally of 206 points from forty-one matches in Wolverhampton’s black and gold colours, which yielded a real-time average of 5.26.

Having made such a dramatic improvement and subsequently indicated that he would like to return for another year, Wolverhampton were happy to announce on 16 January that the rider had agreed terms for his second successive full season at Monmore Green.

The Swede was maintaining an average of around 4.5 points per match for the Wolves, but was injured in a league match at Poole on 8 June. In heat ten of the encounter, team-mate Tai Woffinden attempted to recover from being passed by the home duo of Chris Holder and Dennis Andersson, but lost control coming off the fourth turn and hit the fence.

As he became separated from his machine, the backing up Lindgren tried to take evasive action only to take an even heavier fall himself. Whilst Woffinden was able to walk back to the pits, Lindgren sustained concussion and a shoulder injury. After being ferried to hospital for a check over, he returned to his homeland the following day for a further diagnosis on his shoulder.

Having quickly returned to action with the Monmore men, it was announced on 15 July that he had linked Berwick to replace injured fellow Swede Alex Edberg and would continue with Wolverhampton in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, alongside James Grieves.

Unbeknownst to the Borders club, when the rider received their invitation he immediately phoned Bandits’ No. 1 Seb Alden to ask about the club. And his compatriot told him in no uncertain terms just how much he was enjoying himself since becoming a Bandit and that young Mr. Lindgren should get himself up there right away, too.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 132nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 2 – 123rd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 2 – 127th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

LJUNG, Anders Peter
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 October 1982, Ã…seda, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Eastbourne, Reading; (2004) Eastbourne, Swindon; (2005) Swindon; (2010-11) Lakeside.
MAJOR HONOUR: World Cup Champion: 2003.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.92 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider has been known as Peter Ljung throughout his time in the saddle. Nicknamed ‘Peedy’, an early career highlight for him was winning the Division Two Championship in his homeland with Team Svelux in 1999.

Then, in 2002, he again won a Second Division Championship medal with Vetlanda, while on individual front he finished as runner-up in the Swedish Under-21 final. He made his British debut with Eastbourne in 2003, first appearing in a league match at home to Wolverhampton on 25 March, when he failed to score from three rides. All told, he made just seven appearances for the Eagles; three in the Elite League and four in the British League Cup, finishing with an overall average of 2.67.

Meanwhile, he also made enjoyed two outings for Reading in the Premier League, totaling 17 points for a healthy 9.33 average. The pinnacle of his year occurred in the World Cup Final at Vojens, Denmark, on 9 August, however, when a 10-point tally helped his country to glory ahead of Australia. His performance included a vital race win over Nicki Pedersen, Lee Richardson and Leigh Adams in heat twenty-four, which paved the way for Sweden’s success.

Come 2004, Ljung was a full-time member of the Eastbourne side from the start of the campaign and, although his league average hovered around the 4-point mark, he undoubtedly impressed then-Swindon promoter Alun Rossiter when he reeled off three race wins for the Eagles at Blunsdon on 10 June.

Shortly afterwards, the Swede made a guest appearance for the Robins against Peterborough in an Elite League match at the Abbey on 28 June, when a brilliant showing took him to 12+2 points from five starts. Following that, on 2 July – after much speculation – the Wiltshire side announced that Ljung had joined them on a full contract.

He fitted into the Swindon line-up nicely and one particular highlight occurred when the Robins won 46-30 in a rain-affected Elite League match at Peterborough on 7 July. With team-mate Andy Smith ruled out of action after a frightening spill in his first outing, it meant a busy evening for the stylish Swede from the reserve berth, but he responded brilliantly to net 14+3 points from six starts in a meeting that was eventually curtailed after twelve races. He went on to post a 6.41 average for the Robins, having netted 87 points from fifteen official appearances.  

Ljung was earmarked for a team spot with Swindon at the start of 2005, but the loss of a sponsor unfortunately left him short of the equipment required for a full term of the cut-and-thrust of the Elite League. Despite this, the Robins were to slot him back into the side later on in July, although the move didn’t work out as he struggled for form.

Indeed, from eleven matches, he tallied 43 points for a disappointing 4.09 average. His days of UK racing appeared behind him until August 2010, when he was drafted into the Lakeside team to replace Daniel Davidsson. This saw Ljung again link with promoter Jon Cook, whom he had previously ridden under at Eastbourne.

Ljung sustained a wrist injury during his debut for the Hammers at Ipswich on 5 August, which necessitated a spell on the sidelines. He returned to the track on 17 August in his native Sweden and scored 6 points from four programmed outings, but was unable to take his place in a nominated fifth ride due to the injury giving him further problems. It transpired that he had cracked a bone in the wrist and, therefore, needed to rest it a little longer.

He subsequently returned to action for Lakeside – and made his home debut – on 27 August, ironically in a league encounter against Ipswich. He was to be a revelation for the Hammers; so much so that, on 22 September, the club revealed they were to purchase the rider’s contract from his parent club, Swindon. By the season’s end, he had completed eight matches for the club and a total of 52 points gave the Swede a healthy 6.10 real-time average.

On 19 January, the Arena-Essex based club confirmed their full line-up for the 2011 campaign via their popular internet magazine, Hammerzine, and Ljung filled one of the important second-string positions alongside Finn Kauko Nieminen.

The rider was maintaining an average of close on 6 points per match, but required a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a back injury when Lakeside entertained Poole in a league fixture on 6 May. Although Ljung bravely rode on in that meeting and appeared for the Hammers in their next match at home to Wolverhampton ten days later, he was subsequently ordered by a doctor to rest his back.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 3 – 89th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 12 – 84th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 13 – 80th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 1 – 91st on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 2
Events: 5 – 9th on Sweden’s list; 60th on SWC all-time list
Points: 36 – 8th on Sweden’s list; 57th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 2
Gold medals: 1

LOWE, Adam
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 February 1989, Leicester, Leicestershire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2005) Boston; (2006) Stoke II; (2007-08) Boston; (2009) King’s Lynn II; (2010) King’s Lynn II, King’s Lynn; (2011) King’s Lynn II.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.62 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Lowe’s first speedway skids occurred in October 2002 and, after honing his skills with second-half outings at several tracks, he made his official debut in the Conference League for Boston in a home encounter against Weymouth on 17 April 2005.

After representing Stoke the following year, he returned to the Boston side in 2007 and was still identified with them when they finally ended their 8-year tenure at King’s Lynn’s Norfolk Arena in 2008.

He remained based at the same venue the following year, however, when he made twenty-two appearances for King’s Lynn Barracudas in the new National League, yielding 116 points and a real-time average of 5.56.

In February 2010, the re-branded Young Stars revealed that he would remain with them for the new campaign but, shortly after the season’s start, he sustained internal bruising to a leg in a tumble during a home league fixture versus Mildenhall on 1 May.

Lowe returned to action on 16 May and netted an eye-catching 11+1 points in a league encounter against Weymouth at the Norfolk Arena. And, having continued to make some good contributions for the Young Stars, he was rewarded towards the end of August by being drafted into the main King’s Lynn line-up in place of Jamie Courtney.

His stint in the side was short-lived, as he lost his spot to Chris Mills when a new set of averages became effective at the beginning of September. He had made just a solitary appearance for the Stars, recording 1-point from four rides in a league encounter at Birmingham on 29 August.

At NL level, he made twenty-one appearances for the Young Stars, scoring 142 points for a 6.81 average. And, in February 2011, King’s Lynn confirmed that Lowe would again line-up in the colours of their National League side at the start of the campaign.

Unluckily, Lowe faced missing the remainder of the season after sustaining a stable fracture to two vertebrae in his lower back during what was his first ride of the season. This occurred in heat three of the Young Stars’ National League fixture versus Hackney at the Norfolk Arena on 13 April, when he crashed on the second bend of lap two when comfortably ahead in the race. He was replaced in the side the following month by Scott Campos.

LYONS, Jason Rodney
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 June 1970, Mildura, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1990-91) Glasgow; (1992-2003) Belle Vue; (2004) Poole, Newcastle; (2005) Belle Vue; (2006) Mildenhall; (2007-10) Birmingham; (2011) Redcar.
MAJOR HONOURS: Victoria State Champion: 1997, 1998, 1999; Overseas Champion: 1998, 2001; South Australia State Champion: 1999; World Team Cup Champion: 1999; World Cup Champion: 2002.
CLUB HONOURS: National Series winner: 1990 [Glasgow]; Four-Team Championship winner: 1992 [Belle Vue], 2010 [Birmingham]; League Championship winner: 1993 [Belle Vue]; 2004 [Poole]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2005 [Belle Vue]; Pairs Championship winner: 2009 [Birmingham].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Rod Lyons (born: 25 April 1946, Mildura, Victoria, Australia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.17 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Lyons became a club legend in his initial season of activity with Birmingham in 2007, stringing together tall scores from the start of the campaign right the way through to its conclusion. He was to remain on board for four seasons and his wholehearted efforts culminated in silverware for the Brummies on 26 June 2009, when he joined forces with Tomasz Piszcz to scoop the Premier League Pairs Championship at Somerset’s Oak Tree Arena.

It all began for the Aussie on these shores way back in 1990, when he joined Glasgow and the man he had to thank for this was former speedster Sean Courtney. That came about because the Scottish club had signed Courtney from Berwick shortly after the conclusion of the 1989 season and the incoming rider subsequently travelled to Australia armed with a contract and a brief to tempt an upcoming prospect to sign for the Tigers. Courtney came up trumps with Lyons and the Mildura-born racer has remarkably been part of the British racing scene for over twenty seasons now!

Prior to that, he had originally started riding in junior speedway at the age of nine in his hometown, Mildura. And, giving a fine example of his early promise, he won the Australian Under-16 Pairs Championship on 11 January 1986, when accompanied by Leigh Adams.

After two terms with Glasgow, a dream move into the top-flight saw Lyons link with Belle Vue in 1992. Under the promotion of the late John Perrin, he was to enjoy a long and fruitful association with the Manchester side, becoming popularly known as Mr. Belle Vue Speedway. During his time with the world famous club, he celebrated a much-deserved benefit season in 2001, with his testimonial meeting going ahead on 12 August, when Jason Crump emerged victorious from an individual contest.

After completing a dozen seasons with the Aces, a surprise switch saw Lyons join Poole on loan in 2004. He had long since been regarded as a track expert at the Wimborne Road raceway – emphasized by a brace of brilliant victories in the Overseas Final at the venue on 14 June 1998 and 17 June 2001, respectively – but the move didn’t work out as expected and he was replaced by Matej Ferjan in June.

The Aussie was quickly snapped up by Premier League Newcastle to take the place of Kristian Lund and the change of scenery worked a treat with the Diamonds. A return to the Elite League and Belle Vue followed in 2005 and, in a great year, the Aces topped the regular league table and went on to reach the Play-Off final.

Although they lost out to Coventry over the two legs, the Manchester club did have the consolation of subsequently defeating Eastbourne to lift the Knock-Out Cup in October. Lyons took another look at the Premier League in 2006, when he was identified with Mildenhall and, of course, his move to Birmingham came a year later.

The Australian remained on board with the Brummies for his fourth straight season in 2010 and piled-up 472 points from forty-five official meetings to average 9.58, as he continued his love affair with the club. He also helped the club to collect another major trophy at Peterborough’s East of England Showground on 15 August, when they defeated Sheffield, Newcastle and Berwick in the Four-Team Championship final.

Birmingham made the big decision to step-up to the Elite League at the BSPA AGM in November and, the following month, Brummies’ boss Graham Drury was fearful that Lyons could miss out on a British berth in 2011; the rider having failed to secure an alternative club in the Premier League.

This was a terrible shame for a rider who given so much sterling service to the sport in the UK. Mr. Drury admitted that he had held back with team building in an effort to try and get Lyons in on the ‘doubling-up’ basis agreed at the AGM, but regrettably it seemed it might not be possible to include him at such a late stage. The Aussie veteran was thrown a lifeline, however, when Redcar announced his acquisition on 19 January.

After a slow start to the campaign, Lyons recaptured his customary form and went on to head the Bears’ averages with a figure in excess of 8.5 points per meeting, but the Redcar No. 1 was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a triple fracture to his femur. The veteran racer crashed out in his second ride at Glasgow on 4 September, a match that was won 62-30 by the runaway Premier League leaders.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 11 – 57th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 48 – 58th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 35 – 62nd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 4 – 64th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 1 – 44th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 3
Events: 5 – 9th on Australia’s list; 61st on SWC all-time list
Points: 21 – 9th on Australia’s list; 77th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 2
Gold medals: 1