Northampton Speedway unveils club nickname and rider line-up for first Premiership campaign

The team, which will be based at the Northampton International Shaleway Stadium near Brafield, will be called Northampton Foxes.

The nickname is a nod to the brief history of the sport at the Brafield track in the mid-1950s, when the Flying-Foxes competed in the Southern Area League for two years.

The Foxes will race as a team for the first time at King’s Lynn on Monday, April 20, before moving on to Ipswich on Thursday April 23.

The big home opener at the Northampton International Shaleway takes place on Thursday, April 30, with the visit of Ipswich in Premiership Knockout Cup action.

And the riders who will be representing the Foxes have been revealed.

A statement on the announcement, read: “Speedway teams consist of seven riders, and are built according to points-based criteria which ensures no side goes over a certain level at the start of a season.

“Each rider’s average points over the last 20 matches is calculated, and scaled to four races per meeting. With three points available for a race win, this means the maximum possible average – if a rider was to win every race throughout all 20 matches – is 12.00.

“The combined total of the top six riders in the team line-up must not exceed 37.00, whilst the seventh team member is selected from a list of British riders aged 23 and under, referred to as the Rising Stars.”

The Foxes team, including their starting averages, will be as follows.

Jaimon Lindsey (7.87): The 27-year-old Australian became World Under-21 Champion in 2020 and joins the club after a total of four years with Belle Vue, where he won the Premiership title in 2024. He will start in the No.1 berth as the Foxes’ highest-averaged rider, and also competes on a regular basis in Poland’s top league, the Ekstraliga.

Niels-Kristian Iversen (6.71): Vastly experienced Danish star who has ridden in 100 GPs including five wins, finishing as World No.3 in 2013. A regular in the UK for well over two decades, Iversen joins the Foxes after spending the last two years with King’s Lynn, and he also gave extensive service to Peterborough.

Nicolai Klindt (6.46): Another Dane in the Foxes’ ranks, Klindt’s long service to British Speedway was recognised with a Testimonial at King’s Lynn earlier this month, the club he captained last season. He has won top-flight titles in the UK with Wolverhampton (2009) and Poole (2018).

Matej Zagar (6.46): The Slovenian star is one of the sport’s most colourful characters with five GP wins overall and a best finish of World No.5 in 2014. He won the league title with Belle Vue in 2022, and then made a welcome return to UK racing with Birmingham last year, who were also managed by Foxes team boss Chris Adams.

Troy Batchelor (4.73): A regular on these shores since 2005, Australian racer Batchelor helped Swindon to the title in both 2012 and 2019, being one of the league’s top performers in the latter campaign. He will also be appearing for Workington in the Championship, British Speedway’s middle tier, this season.

Kye Thompson (3.95): A first full top-flight opportunity for the 27-year-old Queenslander who has raced for Championship club Edinburgh since 2021, and remains with the Monarchs this year. Had a brief stint with King’s Lynn three years ago but his form last season now opens the door for a Premiership place with the Foxes.

Luke Harrison (Rising Star): The 19-year-old from Scunthorpe rides for his local club in the Championship having won a succession of junior and Youth titles culminating in the British Under-19 crown at Workington last year. He gained experience in the Rising Star berth with King’s Lynn in 2025, and now starts the season in that role for the Foxes.

The club, which is under the ownership of a consortium made up of representatives from the current Premiership structure along with additional external investment, has also announced the two promoters who will oversee the running of the club on a day-to-day basis.

Subject to checks and approval from British Speedway Promoters Ltd, they will be Paul Hunsdon and Tony Gaul.