Tom P Madsen Tom Paarup Madsen will wear the world famous Belle Vue bib for the first time in his career and becomes the second Great Dane to join the Aces line up for 2006 alongside Kenneth Bjerre. At his best, Tom has pulled off scalps including beating Tomasz Gollob and six times World Champion Tony Rickardsson.  But recent years have proved unsettling. The 28 year old from Esbjerg made his British debut seven years ago at the age of 22, just ten years after he first sat on a speedway bike for the first time.  One of his biggest influences at that young age was his father, former speedway rider Eigil, who has continued to be his main source of encouragement along with Eric Gunderson.   Tom’s first taste of British speedway was at Berwick where he completed the 1999 season for the Bandits and finished with an average of six in his opening season, a drop from nine points when he first joined. With an impressive first year he was quickly promoted to the top flight as he joined King’s Lynn on loan in the Elite League in 2000.  It was for the Knights that he first became a team mate of Jason Crump.  He stayed at the Norfolk Arena in 2001 when he was ever present for league meetings and finished with an average just over four.  He continued to ride for King’s Lynn in 2002 and increased his average to 5.33, but when they went down to the Premier League in 2003 Tom took on extra fixtures by doubling up with Ipswich. Things didn’t go quite as well for Tom at the Foxhall Stadium and the Witches dropped him.  By this stage, he was deemed ineligible to ride for King’s Lynn and only managed seven meetings for them. In 2004, Tom returned for a fifth season with what had become his ‘home’ club King’s Lynn in the Premier League, whilst doubling up for Oxford.  But after struggling to find form Tom was again sacked from King’s Lynn in mid season.  With that, he accepted an offer to move back to his first club Berwick for the last few months of the season, filling in a gap left by Claus Kristensen and sustaining an average of more than eight. By 2005, Oxford boss Nigel Wagstaff was knocking at his door for a second season after impressing as their number eight in 2004.  Tom agreed to return to the Cheetahs but he would become the victim again when Oxford were forced to make team changes.  He was shown the door at Cowley after just eleven meetings and he returned to Berwick, where he finished last season with an average exceeding seven points with the Bandits. Madsen is confident that a move to Belle Vue will be a turning point in his career.  He prefers the smaller circuits and he has a previous good record around Kirkmanshulme Lane.  But as a security measure, before Tom signed the dotted line, he asked for a clause in his contract which provides a pay off if he is sacked.  However, team boss Ian Thomas has much more confidence in the experienced Dane.  Tom failed to establish an official Elite League average last year and joins Belle Vue on 3.15...a bargain according to Ian.