James Wright

He’s been described as the hottest British teenager in Speedway and James Wright will be following the family tyre tracks when he lines up for the Aces for a third season.
 The Stockport based youngster was born with speedway in his blood, with the influence of his grandfather Jim Yacoby, an Aces rider for ten years in 1958-68.  
 James didn’t waste any time getting onto a bike by starting on the grass at just six years old.  It wasn’t until he was fourteen though that he was introduced to his first speedway bike, trying it out at Sheffield, Buxton and Belle Vue.     
 It was at Boston in the Conference League where he made his debut in May 2002 before becoming the youngest rider that year to join the Buxton Hitmen.
 It wasn’t too long before he was doing the ‘Wright’ stuff on the track and he soon caught everyone’s attention when he scored a paid thirteen in only his third meeting, quickly followed by a paid sixteen against Wolves four meetings later. 
 James came close to scoring his first maximum during Buxton’s trophy win at Wimbledon, but dropped just one point.  He later repeated this at the High-Edge Raceway against Newport.
 In 2003, he moved into the main body of the team and in just one season he completed a remarkable 223 rides for the Hitmen. 
 His rising success caught the eye of the then Workington manager and later Belle Vue boss Ian Thomas.  Ian had already witnessed his talent at Derwent Park during two reserve appearances and Carl Stonehewer began singing his praises after seeing him ride at close quarters with Belle Vue in the British League Cup. 
 Interest was mounting from various Premier League clubs, but it was his grandfather Jim who gave Ian the nod, to signal that James was ready for the step up.
 In 2004, James re-signed for Buxton but also made his move to the Workington Comets, becoming a Premier League rookie in 2004 at just seventeen years old on a 3.00 average.  It proved to be another winning season for him and his most successful yet. 
 His most celebrated meeting and the highlight of his season was clinching the Conference League Riders Championship at Rye House.  But this was just the start in a long list of honours in 2004.
 He lost out by half a wheel and came runner up in the British Under 18’s Championship at Wolverhampton, but split two Elite League riders on the rostrum, after dropping just one point to Ipswich’s Daniel King and finishing in front of Eastbourne’s Edward Kennett. 
 Wright made a sensational international debut with a top-scoring performance for Great Britain, scoring 14 points as Great Britain’s Under 21’s won 61-33 at Wimbledon in a challenge match. 
 James won Sheffield’s Top Gun Title in October at Owlerton.
 He topped the Conference League Averages after tallying fifteen maximums in 32 appearances for Buxton, finishing on an average of 10.08 and voted Rider of the Year. 
 Wright also nearly cleaned up during the Comets Presentation evening at the end of the season, adding the most exciting rider of the year as voted by the CARE support group and the trophy for the rider who improved his average most through the season.
  James continued his education at the Comets in 2005, despite being the subject of a £30,000 transfer to an unnamed southern based Elite League club.  James achieved his aim of gaining a seven point average with the Comets, whilst also riding in the number eight jacket for the Aces.  In only his second full season at Premier League level, the teenager was also invited to line up for Great Britain's Under 21's.  But shortly afterwards, his season came to a standstill when he broke his scaphoid (hand).  The injury forced him to miss the British Final but fortunately he received a bye into the World Under 21 Qualifying round at Belle Vue.  James made it as a World U21 finalist and came 7th with five points in the final in Austria , which was abandoned after twelve races. 
James managed to compete in four meetings with the Aces during 2005, including the Knock Out Cup, for which he received his deserved medal when the Aces lifted the trophy.  He also received the runners up prize when he came second behind Simon Stead in the Cumbria Classic meeting at Workington.   
In 2006, James stepped up into big time speedway, as he realised his dream of riding as an Aces team member. James rode at the number four position as one of Belle Vue's 'double up' riders and continued his duties for the Comets in the Premier League.
It became a season of near misses for James when it came to winning trophies, yet his performances on the track proved he could beat the best of them, including the likes of Scott Nicholls who became one of his scalps.
James was seeded into the British Under 21 Final at King's Lynn. He finished fifth and subsequently got a place in the World Under 21 Championship Quarter Finals. He progressed into the Semi Final but his journey ended there.
James also had a go at breaking into the British Final line up, which would be held at his home Kirky Lane track, but he was unsuccessful in the qualifying round at Rye House.
He was, however, selected as one of the five youngsters to represent Great Britain in the Under 21 World Cup in Germany. James led the way by top scoring with nine points, but it wasn't enough to carry the team through to the final.
Still just 19 years old, James is a British prospect for the future.  Once again, he will embark upon a year in which to learn and get better in both the Premier League with Workington and the Elite League with Belle Vue, although many predict that this will be his final season in the lower ranks. He’s a rider with star quality and the determination to become a champion.