NEATH, Christopher (Chris) M.
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 January 1982, Worcester, Worcestershire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1998-99) Newport, Newport II; (2000-01) Newport; (2002-03) Swindon, Wolverhampton; (2004) Rye House, Wolverhampton; (2005-06) Rye House; (2007) Rye House, Lakeside, Reading; (2008) Rye House, Wolverhampton; (2009) Rye House, Poole; (2010-11) Rye House, Lakeside.
CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 1999 [Newport], 2005 [Rye House]; League Championship winner: 1999 [Newport II], 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2005 [Rye House], 2007 [Rye House]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2003 [Swindon].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.86 (PL), 4.58 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Neath initially forged a successful career in speedway’s sister sport, becoming British Schoolboy Grass-track Champion at junior level in 1993 and at Intermediate level in 1997. He went on to gain a wealth of experience on the UK speedway scene, having first ridden for Newport at Conference League level in 1998.

His meteoric development that year saw him appear in three different spheres in the one season; he rode in the Youth Development League for Wolverhampton, as well as representing Newport at both Conference and Premier level.

He is currently the skipper of PL outfit Rye House and, having become an asset of the side in a formal off-season transfer from Wolverhampton, the 2009 campaign represented his sixth successive term with the Hertfordshire side.

He had to overcome a nasty burn injury to his thigh in the opening meeting of the season versus Birmingham in the Premier Trophy at Hoddesdon on 15 March, before determinedly going on to total 412 points from forty-six official matches for a real-time average of 7.82. 

‘Mr. Big Stuff’, as he is known at the Hoddesdon club, won the Premier League Championship with the Rockets in both 2005 and 2007, having previously struck Elite League gold with the Wolverhampton in 2002. Neath was awarded a testimonial in 2008, with his special meeting going ahead at Rye House on 20 September, when Fredrik Lindgren took the spoils of victory in an individual event.

The Worcester-born speedster also replaced Craig Watson as Poole’s No. 8 rider in April 2009. However, a re-shaping of the Pirates’ declared line-up towards the end of the following month saw Neath lose his position with at the club.

He had previously enjoyed similar stints at top-flight level with both Lakeside and Reading in 2007). He then represented Wolverhampton in 2008, having also ‘doubled-up’ with the Monmore men from 2002 to 2004, inclusive.

In November 2009, it was announced that the ever-loyal teamster had agreed to remain with Rye House for a seventh straight season in 2010. And, in early July, Neath again took a No. 8 role with Elite League Lakeside, filling the position previously held by Jerran Hart.

He sustained a back injury in a fourth ride crash during the Rockets’ home league clash versus Scunthorpe on 21 August. This occurred in heat eleven, when the club’s skipper clashed with Viktor Bergström on the final lap. However, he quickly recovered and was to finish the season with a flourish, particularly at the Hoddesdon circuit.

Indeed, the Rockets’ captain closed out the campaign with no less than four straight home maximums – five in six matches – and solid scores on the road to finish up with a total of 337 points and a real-time average of 7.68, having been the only rider to remain ever-present throughout their official programme of forty-two meetings. Meanwhile, with the top-flight Hammers, he was called upon half-a-dozen times and obtained 27 points for a 5.29 average.

On 22 November, Neath was named to start his eighth season at Rye House in 2011, with both the Hoddesdon track record and the objective of building on his tremendous conclusion to 2010. A great leader and inspiration to his team-mates, it was impossible to over-emphasize his role in the pits on race nights.

Neath was forced to miss the Rockets’ opening meetings of the campaign against Ipswich in the Anglian Cup for ‘personal reasons’, but declared himself available to ride in the club’s first Premier League fixture at home to Sheffield on 26 March.

The club captain was due to have a private practice session on the morning of the encounter in order to tune in his engine to the new silencers, but didn’t anticipate a problem in this regard as he had previously used the new silencer. 

Any potential questions over the race fitness of Neath were well and truly answered when he returned to the saddle in devastating fashion against Sheffield by registering a 5-ride maximum that was not only his fifth in succession at the Hoddesdon circuit, but quite possibly his best-ever performance at the track.

Neath was explosive out of the start in four of his races in the Premier League opener, whilst his other ride produced the race of the night – and possibly the season – against Tigers’ Josh Auty. The two Englishmen exchanged the lead early in heat nine, with Neath then stalking his quarry and trying both the inside and outside lines, before finally surging past on the final lap.

Unfortunately, he was injured in a league fixture at Scunthorpe on 8 April. This came courtesy of a frightening heat seven tumble, when the inspirational Rockets’ captain fell directly in front of Scorpion Carl Wilkinson, who had no time for evasive action and ploughed directly into him.

There was a lengthy delay while both riders were attended to. Neath suffered a nasty laceration to his face and also a blow to the arm, which led to his withdrawal from the remainder of the meeting. He subsequently left for hospital X-rays as a precautionary measure. It was later revealed that he had suffered nerve damage to his arm and, after a swift period of recuperation, was ready to return to the Rockets’ line-up.

He was to average almost 9.5 points per match during the first half of the campaign and, through a course of antibiotics, also overcame a chest infection that forced him to miss the Rockets’ trip to Berwick for a league encounter on 2 July. And, a little over a week later, his fine form at PL level was to earn Neath another top-flight call-up to the Lakeside squad in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity alongside Stuart Robson.

However, later that same month, the Hammers opted to make another change and paired Robson with Kauko Nieminen in a single shared berth – rather than two – thus allowing them to dispense with both Neath and Kevin Doolan by drafting in Kim Nilsson.

NEDERMARK, Claes
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 December 1989, Frederikshavn, Region Nordjylland, Jutland, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Newcastle.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Claes (pronounced Claus) Nedermark made two impressive performances for Team Viking late in the 2010 season. The first occurred against a Redcar Select side at the South Tees Motorsports Park on 23 September, when he sported the No. 5 race-jacket and netted 9+1 points from five starts; his tally being enhanced by 2 points from a tactical outing in heat thirteen.

Twenty-four hours later at Plymouth, he rode from the No. 1 slot and was the pick of his side as he notched 12+1 points, again from five outings. His performance included two race victories and a paid win, as he twice defeated home top gun and his opposite number, Nicki Glanz.

Having been highly impressed with his showing at the St Boniface Arena, Devils’ boss Mike Bowden was delighted to agree a deal with the talented Dane in January 2011, ahead of Plymouth’s first term of Premier League racing at the venue. With four bikes ready for the season, Nedermark clearly had a professional set-up for the challenge in hand.

However, before he had even turned a wheel in anger for the Devils, the Dane was replaced in the team’s starting line-up by returning former captain Seemond Stephens. This was announced on 5 April, with the reason seemingly being two-fold: a] his assessed average of 7.00 was too high for him to be accommodated and b] the cost of insurance for the rider was prohibitive at some £2,000.

Nedermark quickly recovered from the disappointment of not representing Plymouth when, on 20 April, Newcastle revealed that they had signed the Dane as a direct replacement for Luboš Tomíček, who had suffered a loss of form.

He was to show good form for the Diamonds and this was reflected in an average of close on 7 points a meeting at the half-way stage of the season. Nedermark suffered knee damage, though, when the Diamonds entertained Workington in a league fixture on 31 July.

NELSON, Tyson Anthony
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 May 1993, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Rye House.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: It was revealed on 22 November that Nelson would be a member of the Rye House’s Premier League side in 2011. The teenager had been ‘the Cobra who never was’ in 2010, his single appearance – and mammoth 18 paid points – at Scunthorpe being wiped off the charts after he was deemed to be ineligible.
 
He had arrived in the UK from Down Under and was reported as close to signing for Sheffield Tigers in the Premier League, having impressed supporters who stayed behind to see him in action after meetings. The Aussie made his guest appearance for Rye House in a National League fixture at Scunthorpe on 4 July, recording a haul of 17+1 points in the Cobras’ 53-40 victory.

The Saints rode the match under protest at his inclusion, which certainly made the difference between the two sides. The Gosford-born speedster won his first five races, before being beaten by Benji Compton and Gary Irving in his last two rides. His appearance was later deemed ineligible because his entry visa was for that of a tourist and he was therefore unable to race speedway professionally.

The UK Border Agency – who oversee all immigration – ruled that he was ineligible to ride, even as an amateur, in team events, but that he could take part in individual meetings that were prescribed by the FIM. As such, the meeting result was amended, with his points expunged.

Mentored by former World finalist, triple New Zealand Champion and 1979 World Team Cup winner Mitch Shirra, the Australian had been riding motorcycles since the age of four. In 2009, he won the NSW 500cc long-track title, while in 2010 he finished fourth in the Australian Under-21 Championship at Mildura, earning him a spot in the World Championship qualifiers.

Having linked with Rye House, the rider became known simply as ‘Nelson’ and began his association with the club in cracking style. Having notched 5+1 points in the first leg of the Anglian Cup at Ipswich on 17 March, he romped to a brilliant 14-point haul in the return leg at Hoddesdon two evenings later.   

NERMARK, Daniel Karl
DATE OF BIRTH: 30 July 1977, Karlstad, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001-02) Wolverhampton; (2003) Ipswich; (2004) Wolverhampton; (2005) Edinburgh; (2006-07) King’s Lynn; (2008) Workington; (2009) Eastbourne; (2011) Birmingham.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2006 [King’s Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both King’s Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both King’s Lynn]; Pairs Championship winner: 2008 [Workington].
RIDER LINKS: Son of former junior rider Anders Nermark.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.98 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Swede initially rode moto-cross, prior to switching to speedway at his hometown track, Karlstad, when he was seventeen years-of-age. He also played ice hockey for the junior Karlstad sides, before deciding to concentrate fully on speedway.

Nermark’s first UK team was Wolverhampton, whom he joined in 2001 but, having remained on board with them the following year, he sustained a broken leg at Oxford on 19 June and his second term with the Black Country outfit was prematurely over.

Having recovered, he spent the 2003 season with Ipswich, before resuming with the Wolves a year later. Unluckily, though, the campaign had barely got underway when he broke both thighs whilst riding for Gorzów in a Polish First Division fixture versus Gniezno on 18 April; this again spelt an early end to his racing for the year.

Nermark bravely bounced back from his career-threatening injuries to link with Premier League Edinburgh on loan in 2005 and he enjoyed a solid season, before joining King’s Lynn where he played a key role in their treble success of the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy in 2006.

Remaining with the Stars in 2007, Nermark helped the side retain the Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy but, having topped the league table, they missed out on the chance of back-to-back Championship glory after losing to Sheffield in an absorbing Play-Off semi-final. Capping a great personal campaign, the Swede was handed the Premier League Rider of the Year award when the Speedway Riders’ Association held their annual ceremony.

In December, it was announced that Nermark had signed for Workington on a full transfer from Wolverhampton. Although he put together some phenomenal performances with the Comets to post a career-high real-time average of 10.53 – this figure making him the No. 1 rider in PL circles for the year – the season wasn’t without incident.

On 5 May, in a league fixture at Rye House, he clashed with Daniel Halsey on the home straight of heat eleven and both riders thudded into the first bend safety fence. It was initially thought that Nermark had broken his scaphoid, although it was later confirmed as damaged ligaments. Despite the discomfort, he rode twice in his homeland in the days that followed, before informing the Comets that he had been advised to rest and, as such, wouldn’t be available for their match at Scunthorpe on 9 May.

He also then missed Workington’s home encounter with Reading but – despite an assurance to the contrary – rode in Poland for Ostrów in a Division One meeting at Grudziądz on 11 May. This led to a face-to-face meeting with Comets’ boss Keith Denham and a £500 fine was imposed on the rider who, to his credit, made a written apology and requested that the fine be added to the collection for his seriously injured Workington team-mate Barry Burchatt.

Having settled back into his high-scoring groove, more success came Nermark’s way on 27 June, when he partnered fellow Comet Kauko Nieminen to the Premier League Pairs Championship at Somerset’s Oak Tree Arena.

However, barely a month later, on 24 July, he sustained a broken tibia and knee ligament damage after clipping Ty Proctor’s rear wheel in a horrendous heat eleven accident at Redcar, resulting in a five-week spell out of action. The Swede could have been sidelined for longer, but shelled out over £2,000 on knee braces to ensure his return to the Workington side for a home match versus Glasgow on 30 August.

Unfortunately, it was to be his last appearance of the year for the side. He subsequently represented Ostrów in a Polish Division One Play-Off fixture against Bydgoszcz on 7 September but, four days later, was forced to pull out of the Polish side’s league match versus Gdańsk in his second outing. He was told he must have an operation on his knee and that if he rode again it could end his career. The requisite surgery duly took place in Poland that same month.

Nermark was wanted by the Comets in 2009, but regrettably wasn’t fit for the start of the season. Having eventually made a track comeback, he did offer his services to Eastbourne at the end of July as a possible replacement for the injured David Norris.

Nothing came of it initially, as the rider sensed all might not be well with a troublesome shoulder that he had knocked the previous month. However, after a successful meeting in his homeland for Piraterna against Elit Vetlanda on 29 July, the move did eventually come off in August after Eagles’ promoter Bob Dugard had arranged for the Swede to use the two bikes previously utilised by Norris and also fixed him up with a mechanic. He went on to make four appearances for the East Sussex club, scoring 28 points for an average of 7.33.

Although he wasn’t seen in Britain in 2010, he enjoyed a fine season on the continent and this led to him being signed by Birmingham for their first term of Elite League racing at Perry Barr in 2011; his acquisition being revealed on 30 January.

Having begun the season well, Nermark was ruled out of the Brummies’ Bank Holiday Monday afternoon trip to Belle Vue on 2 May. The Swede suffered a hand injury when he was struck by a stone whilst racing in Poland for Częstochowa in a league match at Zielona Góra the previous day and, as a result, sought medical advice as to the extent of the damage. Fortunately, it turned out to be nothing serious and he resumed with the Brummies on 5 May, notching 11 points in a home win over King’s Lynn.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 2
Events: 4 – 11th on Sweden’s list; 76th on SWC all-time list
Points: 14 – 15th on Sweden’s list; 90th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

NEWMAN, Kyle
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 December 1991, Poole, Dorset.
BRITISH CAREER: (2007-08) Weymouth; (2009) Bournemouth, Newport; (2010) Newport II, Birmingham; (2011) Newcastle, Poole, Dudley.
MAJOR HONOUR: Queensland State Under-21 Champion: 2011.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth], 2009 [Bournemouth], 2011 [Poole]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Bournemouth]; Premier Shield winner: 2011 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Keith Newman (born: 3 May 1962, Poole, Dorset).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.60 (PL), 3.00 (EL), 8.13 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having initially been Newport’s No. 8 rider, Newman officially came into the Wasps’ declared 1-7 in May 2009 as a replacement for the injured Nick Simmons. However, by the end of the month, he himself had been replaced in the line-up by Tony Atkin.

The Poole-born rider was subsequently recalled by the Wasps as a ‘doubling-up’ rider – along with Kyle Hughes – in place of Atkin in early June. Subsequently though, at the start of the following month, his ‘doubling-up’ partner was changed to Shelby Rutherford, as the club brought in a raft of changes to try and improve their on-track results.

A little over a week later, though, a further alteration saw Newport opt for a straight 1-7 line-up, with Marek Mroz coming in to replace both Newman and Rutherford. The Dorset lad continued his somewhat yo-yo association with the Wasps in August, however, when he was re-declared back into the line up after Mroz had sustained a broken leg.

Regrettably – having helped Bournemouth to lift the Knock-Out Cup – the youngster ended the season with a serious injury himself, when he shattered his left thigh in six places during the Welsh Junior Championship at Queensway Meadows on 18 October.

He received the multiple injuries in heat ten when, on the third bend of lap three, he attempted to pass Andrew Aldridge. The two riders unfortunately collided and Newman was violently hit by both machines, before ending up in the air safety barrier.

Aldridge was back on his feet quickly, whilst Newman was eventually taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in extreme discomfort, wrecking his plans for a close season of racing in Australia. The injury also forced him to miss Bournemouth’s Play-Off success over Plymouth, although he was still credited with a second successive League Championship-winning medal.

Newman still made to trip Down Under to help his recovery from a broken femur but, shortly after leaving, he surprisingly lost his team spot with the Buccaneers to Dan Halsey. However, within days of his shock exit from the Dorset club, Newport announced that he would represent their National League side in 2010. Furthering his career, it was revealed on 25 May that Birmingham had also acquired him as a replacement for Australian Jake Anderson.

As a mark of both his progress and potential, the Brummies went on to sign him as a club asset just prior to the second leg of the Premier Trophy final versus Newcastle at Perry Barr on 28 July. Newport countered that he remained their asset, however, and also revealed in October that they had turned down an offer from top-flight Swindon for the youngster.

Newman was to make a total of twenty-eight official appearances in Birmingham’s colours, which garnered 117 points and a 4.79 average. Meanwhile, for the Hornets, he scored 277 points from twenty-nine meetings for an average of 8.93.

Following the conclusion of the season, he again toured Australia during the winter break and – despite both Newport and Birmingham previously laying claim to his services – it was announced on 4 December that he had agreed terms to join Newcastle for the 2011 campaign.

A day later, a great display saw him take victory in the Queensland State Under-21 Championship, beating fellow Brit Josh Auty, Josh Grajczonek and Clinton Dennis in the ‘A’ Final. And, on 26 January, he was added to the Poole squad in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity for the UK season ahead. 

Taking him to three clubs for the 2011 campaign, Dudley announced Newman’s signing on 4 May as a replacement for the injured and extremely unlucky Adam Roynon, who had proved a huge hit with the Heathens’ supporters in the early-season meetings.

The rider brought with him a fine pedigree at National League level, having previously won the title with both Weymouth [2008] and Bournemouth [2009], as well as the Knock-Out Cup with the latter side [again in 2009].

Indeed, club partner Gary Patchett spoke very highly of the lad from Dorset, who had proved a match-winner with PL Newcastle just three days earlier, when he scored 11+1 points in the Diamonds’ narrow home victory over Sheffield.

The first half of the season saw Newman maintain an average of almost 9.5 points a match for the Heathens, while at PL level his figure stood at close on 4.5 points per meeting. As if to fully underline his potential, he then hit a wonderful 17+1 points from the No. 6 berth for the Diamonds in a league encounter at Workington on 2 July.

Newman again showcased his credentials when Newcastle sent Somerset spinning from the Knock-Out Cup. In the first leg of the tie at the Oak Tree Arena on 22 July, he netted a brilliant haul of 15+2 points from seven rides out of the No. 6 slot.

Then, two days later, he replicated that performance with another 15+2 haul in the return leg at Brough Park. However, he then faced a spell on the sidelines through a twisted knee after crashing out of Poole’s televised league match at Coventry on 25 July.

Meanwhile, with Roynon returning from injury in the Dudley line-up, Newman also gave up his place in their side in accordance with an agreement struck upon his initially linking with the Heathens’ set-up. He wasn’t out of action for long and was an impressive winner of his first-ever heat fifteen outing for Newcastle in their win over Ipswich on 14 August. Indeed, Newman delighted the home supporters by defeating Lasse Bjerre and Kevin Doolan in the last race.

The following day, Poole announced the signing of Polish rider Mateusz Szczepaniak after taking the decision to dispense with the ‘doubling-up’ duo of Newman and Christian Hefenbrock, although the latter did retain a place in the Pirates’ squad after being shuffled to the No. 8 berth.

On 31 August, Dudley announced that Newman had agreed to return to the club for the remaining weeks of the season. The talented British youngster had been a massive hit with the Heathens’ fans during his previous spell with the club earlier in the season, when he appeared in ten matches as cover for Adam Roynon.

In returning, he stepped into the No. 1 race-jacket vacated by unlucky skipper Jon Armstrong, who suffered a broken bone in his back during a match against Buxton at Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green on 30 August.

Newman duly returned to the Heathens side with a stunning performance at the Isle of Wight on 1 September – but was then struck by the former Cradley club's injury jinx. He had notched 11 points from his opening three rides, before he was involved in a horrifying spill.

Disaster struck in heat thirteen, when he was chasing the Islanders’ Nick Simmons and clipped his back wheel with both riders hitting the fence at high speed. The home rider was badly dazed and Newman was taken to hospital complaining of back pain.

Thankfully, the news was better the following day and the Heathens’ hero was back at his Dorset home after being released from hospital on the Isle of Wight in the early hours of the morning. He had X-rays on various bones, but they came back clear and he was able to make his way home.

However, having returned to action, the rider was to be ruled out of the remainder of the season after suffering leg injuries in his first race during Newcastle’s home league defeat by Newport on 9 October. Newman required lengthy medical attention after suffering a puncture wound, which ruptured a major artery and led to blood-loss but thankfully that was halted and there were no breaks.

NICHOLLS, Scott Karl
DATE OF BIRTH: 16 May 1978, Ipswich, Suffolk.
BRITISH CAREER: (1994) Peterborough; (1995-98) Ipswich; (1999-2000) Poole; (2001-04) Ipswich; (2005-07) Coventry; (2008) Eastbourne; (2009) Coventry, Ipswich; (2010) Ipswich; (2011) Swindon.
MAJOR HONOURS: British Under-21 Champion: 1998, 1999; British Champion: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011; Czech Golden Helmet Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 1998 [Ipswich], 2005 [Coventry], 2007 [Coventry]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 1998 [Ipswich], 2006 [Coventry], 2007 [Coventry], 2008 [Eastbourne]; Craven Shield winner: 1998 [Ipswich], 2007 [Coventry]; Elite Shield winner: 2006 [Coventry].
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Shaun Nicholls (born: 30 November 1971, Ipswich, Suffolk).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 8.54 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Nicholls began his career with then-Division Two Peterborough in June 1994, before he first linked with top-flight Ipswich the following year. After four seasons with the Witches – culminating in a League Championship success alongside the likes of Tony Rickardsson, Tomasz Gollob and Chris Louis – he moved to Poole in 1999. However, he returned to his hometown club after just two campaigns in Dorset and went on to capture the first of five British Championship titles in 2002.
  
Nicholls’ testimonial meeting was held at Ipswich on 24 July 2004, when victory in an individual event went the way of Leigh Adams. The Englishman subsequently joined Coventry for £36,000 plus VAT in 2005, the fee eventually being set by a tribunal after Ipswich had initially valued the rider at £55,000.

After three terms in the Bees’ colours – and two League Championships – he spent a year on loan with Eastbourne before deciding to take a break from domestic racing. But, late in May 2009, Nicholls ended his self-imposed exile from the British scene by re-joining parent club Coventry for a short stint as a replacement for the injured Olly Allen.

However, following his first meeting back for the Bees versus Ipswich at home on 25 May, Nicholls’ 10-point score was deducted because the SCB found that Coventry’s re-declaration had not been approved by the BSPA Management Committee. An agreement was subsequently reached with the BSPA in early June to allow Nicholls to ride for the club, with Jordan Frampton standing down from the team.

When Allen was deemed fit to return to the Bees’ line-up in July, the Ipswich-born rider returned to his hometown team on loan for the remainder of the campaign, replacing Jarosław Hampel.

In between Nicholls’ move between Coventry and Ipswich, there was controversy in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s superb Millennium Stadium on 27 June that year, when the English star became embroiled in a brawl with Emil Sayfutdinov. The Russian racer was unhappy when he felt he had been run wide for third place by Nicholls in heat five.

The two riders began pushing at each other as they returned to the pits, where they got off their bikes and started to go at it like a couple of boxers. Sayfutdinov was subsequently fined £375 and Nicholls £312 by an FIM meeting jury.

Following the cessation of the season – at the end of November – the Witches revealed that Nicholls would be part of their starting line-up for 2010. And, although it was to be a season of struggle for his hometown club, he was to show excellent form to finish fifth in the overall real-time Elite League averages on a figure of 9.34, having notched 389 points from thirty-five official matches.

At home, Nicholls’ highest-scoring return for the Witches was a 16-point haul from six starts in a league encounter versus Eastbourne on 15 April. Meanwhile, away, his highlight occurred at Belle Vue just four days later, when he notched 19 points from half-a-dozen outings; his tally on that occasion was enhanced by 4 points from a tactical ride in heat eleven. 

On 30 November, it was announced that Swindon had signed the popular Englishman on loan as their new No. 1 ahead of the 2011 campaign, following the retirement of their all-time highest points-scorer, Leigh Adams.

That came after a stunning guest appearance for the Robins in their final league match of the campaign at Wolverhampton on 11 October, when Nicholls stood in for the unavailable Adams at No. 1 and scored 15 points from five rides, his tally including 6 points from a tactical ride in heat eleven.

Although he represented the Wiltshire club in their first challenge match of the season at Lakeside on 24 March, he failed to arrive for the Robins’ initial league fixture of the campaign at Belle Vue on 4 April after being held up in traffic accidents that closed the M11. Nicholls faced a fine for missing the meeting and, in his absence, Swindon received a 62-30 pasting from the rampant Aces.

On 6 June, Nicholls clinched his sixth British Championship title in a dramatic final at Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green raceway. The Swindon No. 1 shot past great rival Chris Harris as the deciding race was concluded at the third time of asking – the first running having seen all four riders come to grief on the first bend.

Harris finished second with Tai Woffinden third, having won all of his qualifying rides, whilst Edward Kennett crashed out in the second running of the final. Nicholls’ success equalled the record of the legendary Barry Briggs, whose half-dozen titles were claimed in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 81 – 9th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 624 – 13th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 410 – 10th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 60 – 15th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a   
Grand Prix finals: 9 – 15th on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 8
Events: 17 – 2nd on Great Britain’s list; 14th on SWC all-time list
Points: 179 – 2nd on Great Britain’s list; 10th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 6
Gold medals: 0

NIELSEN, Simon
DATE OF BIRTH: 1 October 1990, Stenlille, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Workington.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Workington added a second Danish rider to their team with the signing of the then 20-year-old in September 2011. Nielsen, who was a team-mate of fellow Comet Peter Kildemand at Fjelsted, joined the Cumbrian outfit in place of the released James Wright.

A winner of the FIM Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in 2005, he had previously toured the UK as part of the Team Viking side. He was also a former member of the Danish Under-19 World Team Cup squad, which occupied third place in both 2008 and 2009.

NIELSEN, Stefan
DATE OF BIRTH: 31 October 1994.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Scunthorpe II/Sheffield II.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2011 [Scunthorpe II/Sheffield II].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Despite his name, Nielsen is British with a Danish father. He was confirmed in Scunthorpe’s National League line-up on 10 February 2011, as the new kid on the block.

He signed for the team following recommendation from both Scorpions’ skipper David Howe and team manager Richard Hollingsworth. It was later revealed that the NL team would be a joint venture with Sheffield and that home fixtures would be split between the two tracks.

Nielsen – who rides with the style of GP star Rune Holta – had attended one of Howe’s training schools before Christmas and the club was alerted to his availability. When Luke Chessell informed Scunthorpe that he would be living and working in Cornwall during the year and couldn’t commit to the Saints, they decided to give Nielsen his chance. 

Nielsen not only caught the eye with his riding style, but gave notice of his potential when he notched 8+2 points in a home league encounter versus Hackney on 2 May. However, a team re-shuffle on 17 May saw him moved to the No. 8 slot at the expense of the returning Paul Cooper, who had temporarily been replaced in the team declaration due to work commitments.

NIEMINEN, Kauko Tapio (Kake)
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 August 1979, Seinäjoki, Finland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2002-05) Workington; (2006) Glasgow; (2007) Workington; (2008) Workington, Lakeside; (2009-10) Lakeside; (2011) Lakeside, Leicester.
MAJOR HONOURS: Finnish Under-21 Champion: 1998, 1999, 2000; Finnish Champion: 2009, 2010, 2011.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team Championship winner: 2004, 2008 [both Workington]; Pairs Championship winner: 2008 [Workington]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2009 [Lakeside].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.35 (EL), 8.87 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The likeable Finn first came to British shores at the start of the 2002 campaign to ride for Workington and made great progress year-on-year. He represented the Comets in five of his first six seasons in the UK, his one year away from Derwent Park being spent with Glasgow in 2006.

Nieminen made an instant impression in Lakeside’s colours in the summer of 2008 when he was signed as the club’s No. 8 rider – and ended up scoring a hatful of points. Such was the regard in which he was held by both supporters and management alike that he was signed to ride for the Hammers on a full-time basis in 2009.

In an excellent term, he remained ever-present throughout the club’s forty official meetings to yield 253 points and a real-time 6.26 average. Indeed, he was a key rider as Lakeside made it through to the Play-Offs for a second successive season and rounded-off the campaign in style by defeating Coventry to win the Knock-Out Cup.

There was never much doubt that he would again be named as a team member for 2010 by the innovative Hammers’ management, this being confirmed in January. And he again rode competitively to maintain an average of close on 6 points per match, whilst also scooping a second successive Finnish Championship at Kauhajoki on 7 August, when he brilliantly came from behind to pass both Niko Siltaniemi and Tero Aarnio in the final.

Nieminen was one of only two riders to remain ever-present for Lakeside throughout the club’s 36-match programme (the other being Stuart Robson), from which he generated 213 points and a 5.96 average. And, on 19 January, he was once again named in the Hammers’ line-up for the 2011 campaign.

He was to average around 6 points a match over the first sector of the campaign and, on 6 July, the Lakeside Hammers confirmed that, after talks between Nieminen and club co-promoter Jon Cook, an agreement had been reached to allow the rider to race in the Premier League but also retain a ‘double-up role with the Essex-based club.

It was explained that the Finn had been in need of more meetings to get back to his very best and that the time was right to make the move possible. Nieminen was to share a position with Kevin Doolan. And, the following day, Leicester announced that they had signed the rider as their new No. 1 in place of Sergey Darkin. He was subsequently instated as the Lions’ skipper following the release of Richard Hall.

Later that same month, the Hammers opted to make another change and paired Nieminen with Stuart Robson in a single shared berth – rather than two – thus allowing them to dispense with both Chris Neath and Doolan by drafting in Kim Nilsson.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 6
Events: 8 – 1st on Finland’s list; 42nd on SWC all-time list
Points: 23 – 3rd on Finland’s list; 75th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

NILSSON, Kim
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 February 1990, Stockholm, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009-11) Newport, Lakeside.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Tommy Nilsson (born: 10 March 1955, Stockholm Sweden).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.95 (PL), 4.15 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Nilsson rode in moto-cross from just 3-years-of-age and continued with the discipline until he could acquire his racing licence at 16. He broke into league racing in 2006 at third tier level in his homeland and, after continuing to progress, Newport decided to blood the teenager in mid-September three years later – following an injury to Leigh Lanham – with a view to their team’s make-up for the following season.

The son of former rider, Tommy, was a team-mate of fellow Wasp Jonas Andersson with Vargarna in Sweden and, indeed, it was Andersson who had initially made overtures to the Newport management regarding his compatriot. Nilsson gained good international experience, having won a bronze medal with his country in the Under-21 World Cup in both 2008 and 2009.

Having impressed with the Wasps in the two late-season matches he appeared in, it was confirmed in November that Nilsson had agreed a return to the Welsh side for the start of the 2010 campaign. He was to produce several eye-catching performances as Newport strung together a fine run in the second-half of the campaign.

In the final analysis, the Swede totalled 259 points from thirty-three official matches for a solid real-time average of 7.45. The obvious highlight at home for the Swede was a stunning six-ride, 18-point maximum versus Rye House in the Young Shield on 15 October.

Meanwhile, on the Wasps’ travels, his best tally was 18 points from six rides in a league match at King’s Lynn just two days beforehand; his total at the Norfolk Arena enhanced by 6 points from a tactical outing in heat eleven.

On 27 November, in front of an enthusiastic gathering of Newport supporters at the Queensway Meadows Stadium, Nilsson was unveiled as the third signing by the Wasps’ promotion for their 2011 campaign, following on from those of Mark Jones and Todd Kurtz.

Regrettably, Newport made a poor start to the campaign, necessitating a number of team changes and when the Swede indicated that he would be missing for several fixtures, the club acted fast to draft in Jason Doyle as a permanent replacement. This was announced on 16 May and followed the conclusion of the Aussie’s short-term deal at Rye House as cover for the injured Steve Boxall.

However, on 13 July, top-flight Lakeside announced the signing of the Swede on the recommendation of both Lee Richardson and Jonas Davidsson. He initially joined them on loan from Newport and it was stated that a full transfer would follow before the end of the season.

His signing led to a shake-up of the Hammers’ resources with both Kevin Doolan and Chris Neath dropping out from the ‘doubling-up’ berths they had previously shared with Kauko Nieminen and Stuart Robson, respectively.

In a series of links, Nilsson represented Vargarna in his country’s Elitserien League, the same team as Hammers’ captain Lee Richardson, along with Nicki Pedersen, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Tai Woffinden amongst others. Meanwhile, in the Allsvenskan League, he rode for Rospiggarna, who included in their ranks Lakeside colleague Kauko Nieminen and former Hammers Andreas Jonsson and Andreas Messing.

NOBES, Timothy (Tim) John
DATE OF BIRTH: 18 October 1986, Gloucester.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Stoke.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: In September 2011, Stoke made a change ahead of the National League run-in by signing the grass-track star to replace Ben Reade at reserve. Nobes – who began racing at just 6 years-of-age – came highly recommended by Ben Barker and Potters’ skipper Tony Atkin, whilst many people had likened him to Jason Garrity.  

NORTH, Dakota (Dak) Max
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 August 1991, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Mildenhall; (2010) Newcastle; (2011) Somerset, Peterborough.
MAJOR HONOUR: Australian Under-16 Champion: 2007.
CLUB HONOURS: Premier Trophy winner: 2010 [Newcastle]; Play-Off winner: 2010 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Rod North (born: 26 October 1956, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.53 (PL), 3.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The young Aussie’s father, Rod, appeared in British speedway in the late 1970s and early 1980s, riding mainly for Stoke. Dakota is so named because of his dad’s love of aeroplanes and he first started junior speedway racing in 2003, before going on to lift the Aussie Under-16 Championship some four years later, when he defeated a certain Darcy Ward in the final.

The same year also saw him win the Australian Junior Pairs Championship, partnered by Justin Sedgmen. North made a brief cameo appearance on the British racing scene during a visit in September 2007, when he rode twice apiece for both Oxford and Rye House at Conference level, although none of these appearances were recorded officially as he wasn’t in either sides declared line-up. Regrettably, he picked up an injury during his short stay, which resulted in him remaining at home in Australia during 2008.

He is backed by Leigh Adams and was part of the LAR pit crew during the 2009 Australian Championship, which saw the long-serving Swindon rider claim his tenth national title. The Victorian subsequently joined Mildenhall in July, following Darren Smith’s decision to concentrate on business interests.

However, having impressed with some high scores, his stay in the UK was to be short-lived. On 14 July, he represented Australasia in an Under-21 Test match at the Isle of Wight and, having collected 13 points from his first six rides, he took a hefty tumble on the third bend of heat fourteen.

Although it was thought he had suffered only bad bruising, it turned out that a couple of bones in his vertebrae had been chipped. As such, he returned home to Australia to recuperate and was eventually replaced in the Fen Tigers’ team declaration by Adam Kirby.

In December, Peterborough revealed that they had signed the exciting youngster as a club asset and, shortly afterwards, he was loaned to Premier League Newcastle for their 2010 campaign assault. The talented teenager will start the season on a 3.00 average thanks to his British passport.

North fell four times in his three races during Newcastle’s league visit to Scunthorpe on 23 July, before it became one crash too many and he was signed out of the meeting after suffering concussion in heat six. But he bounced back to play a full part as the Diamonds sealed an aggregate victory over Birmingham in the Premier Trophy final at Perry Barr five days later.

He was also to play his part in October, when the Geordie side defeated Sheffield in the Play-Off final. The success wasn’t without cost for the Aussie, though, as he crashed in heat eight of the second leg at Brough Park on 17 October, sustaining an acutely painful right heel after trapping it under his footrest. That brought his season to a sudden conclusion, but it had certainly been a successful one as a 5.40 average indicated, North having registered 269 points from forty-five official matches.

Although North enjoyed such an excellent season on Tyneside disappointingly, to the Newcastle management team, the rider believed his future time lay away from Brough Park and would be more productive, despite being part of such a massively successful team in 2010.

On 3 December, in front of a packed Oak Tree Clubhouse, the Victorian was named as a starter in the Somerset side for 2011. The forward-looking Edithmead-based club named all seven team members on the night, with North being one of five riders from Down Under in the septet – his fellow countrymen being Sam Masters, James Holder, Cory Gathercole and Travis McGowan.

He was also part of parent club Peterborough’s plans, initially sharing a ‘doubling-up’ reserve berth with compatriot Alex Davies, with the latter subsequently replaced in the role by Richard Lawson after sustaining an injury in Mark Loram’s Farewell meeting at Poole.

The Somerset No. 6 scorched to a stunning seven-ride, paid-21 maximum (18+3 points) as the Rebels confounded expectations with a 51-42 win at Ipswich – the hot title favourites – in a Premier League encounter on 7 April. On three occasions, North partnered Cory Gathercole to 5-1s, before claiming a match-winning 5-1 with Sam Masters in the penultimate heat.

Twenty-four hours later, the Aussie was at it again in the return league fixture against the Witches at the Oak Tree Arena, when he recorded another paid maximum tally of 13+2 points from five starts as the Rebels completed an early-season double over the Suffolk club, winning 59-34.

On 26 May, North faced a spell on the sidelines after coming down in heat four of Peterborough’s home victory over Birmingham; a win that took the Panthers off the bottom of the Elite League standings. The Aussie subsequently underwent an operation at Peterborough City Hospital to pin a badly broken finger on his right hand and it was revealed that he had also sustained a broken thumb. He had come down when Brummies’ Daniel Nermark locked up in front of him and caused North to catch his hand on his rival’s back wheel.

Doctors told the rider that he would be out of action for a month, but North was convinced that he could accelerate his return to the saddle. As such, he booked his first session of hyper-baric oxygen treatment for 1 June at the MS Therapy Centre in Milton Keynes, where he was besed in the UK.

However, he subsequently returned to Australia for further treatment and, on 28 June, Somerset announced the signing of Anders Mellgren as an injury replacement. North was finally declared fit to resume racing in the second week of August and duly returned to the Rebels’ line-up in place of Mellgren.