Kevin Doolan

Kevin Doolan arrives at Belle Vue in 2007 for the second bite of the Aces cherry. Once the teenage rookie with stars in his eyes, he soon realised the pressure of the Elite League was too great for a nineteen year old Australian on foreign shale. Since then he’s been away to have a think about it and ride the steep learning curve in British speedway. Now 26 years old, Kevin is back at Kirkmanshulme Lane with something to prove.
The unknown Kevin Doolan arrived in England eight years ago and rode straight into the depths of Elite League speedway with Belle Vue. He has since admitted that he was ‘in it over his head’ and it is fair to say that he struggled in the top flight. Failing to make the grade with the Aces was enough to send Doolan back on a flight home to Australia . He took a year out to rediscover his talent at a place where it all begin. Born in Mildura, Kevin had become familiar with a bike at the age of 11 and practiced in Albury. Fed up with having to ride around in the ‘bush’ or countryside, Kevin decided to follow his fellow countryman to England .
He returned to British Speedway in 2001 with Berwick in the Premier League. He spent two years with the Bandits and despite reaching an average of 6.78 by the end of 2002, his promoters felt that he had failed to find his form. Berwick promoter Peter Waite left him out of the line up.
With that, he moved north to join the Glasgow Tigers in May 2003 and after being granted a work permit, replaced Scottish based racer Ross Brady.
His most successful times have come as a King’s Lynn Star, for whom he teamed up for in 2004. He started the year by winning the Gillman’s Jack Young Cup in Australia . He returned to England and joined the Norfolk club midway through the season to replace Trevor Harding. He ended the year with a bad injury but a 7.70 average was an illustration of his increasing capabilities.
He returned to King’s Lynn to complete a full season in 2005 and slightly increased his average. His year was rocked though with the sad news of the death of his close friend and housemate Ashley Jones. His 23 year old friend from Albury had crashed heavily in Australia and suffered serious facial injuries.
Last year, Kevin enjoyed his best season to date with the stars, topping his average to 9.23 (including bonus points). He also broke into the continental field, riding for Vargarna in Sweden . It would be his third and final season with King’s Lynn in the Premier League, as despite a superb year, he had no hesitation in taking up the Belle Vue challenge for 2007. His presence around the Kirky Lane pits last year had already started the rumour mill churning and his determination and eagerness was enough to attract the Aces promoters.
During the winter, Kevin returned home where he completed a few laps and came third in Jason Lyons’ Testimonial in Mildura. Alongside Simon Stead, he was described as one of the most entertaining riders with his racing and passing abilities. Now the all action rider with a never say die attitude is ready to spread his wings by riding for a second year in Sweden, but most importantly, Doolan says he is ready to face his demons once again with the Aces in the Elite League.