Steve Masters

Steve Masters has lived something of a nomadic speedway life but the surprise of being asked to ride for the Aces was as much a shock to him than anyone else.
Originally from Eastbourne, Steve made his racing debut in the second division for his hometown club in 1989 appearing in 18 meetings for the Eagles and achieving an average of just over three points.
The following season saw him return to the Arlington track where he remained until 1991, despite seeing little action on the shale.
In 1992 he moved to Swindon and competed in 14 meetings in the top flight.  It was at Swindon that Steve first became a teammate of Jason Crump, who joined the Swindon outfit in 1993 when they moved down a division.  
The following season he had sporadic appearances for Swindon, Cradley Heath, Reading and the Poole Pirates, where he stayed in 1995.

A year later, he returned to Swindon and had a good year pushing his average up to over five points and he remained with the Robins for the next two years.  But the tough Elite League proved too much and he made a mid-season switch to the Isle of Wight, where he achieved his best average of 8.36.
He maintained a high average when he returned to Blunsdon Stadium for the Robins in the premier league during ‘99.  Then in 2000 he moved up into the Elite League again racing for King’s Lynn before a spell in the Premier League in 2001 with Newport.  Later that year, Steve was awarded the special testimonial meeting by the British Speedway Promoters' Association to mark his 10 seasons as a Swindon Robin’s asset.
He settled on the Cornwall coast in 2002 where he was a heat leader for Premier League Trelawny and continued to have a highly successful year with the Tigers in 2003.  
But Masters suffered an injury-troubled season with Rye House last season, when he broke his wrist riding for Reading against Somerset in June.
The 34-year-old joins the Aces for the first time in his career after doubting he would ride at all in the 2005 season.  But Masters says part of the reason for joining Belle Vue was because it gave him the chance to renew his friendship with Jason Crump.
Masters was the final piece of the jigsaw for Ian Thomas and will join Andy Smith in reserve.