Teenage speedway ace on right track

The 15-year-old star-in-the-making recorded four wins and a second place from his five heats at Wolverhampton on Monday night.

"He was over the moon," said grandfather Tony Thompson. "I thought if he made the podium he would have done really well because there were some really quick riders there and it was the first time he'd even been to Wolverhampton. But he rode extremely well."

Bridger began the evening in fine fashion by posting the second quickest winning time of any of the 20 heats, clocking 59.41 seconds when crossing the line first in heat three.

He later notched the fourth fastest winning time of the evening in heat 15 when he clocked 59.55 and the sixth quickest in heat 17 when he got home in 59.63. His other win came in heat 12 when he got the better of the overall third place finisher Jack Hargreaves (Stoke) in a time of 60.01.

But the championship hinged upon the result of heat six in which Bridger came a close second to overall winner William Lawson, whose triumph was achieved in the night's fastest winning time of 59.33.

Losing out to Lawson was certainly no disgrace, though, because the 18-year-old is a Premier League rider for Edinburgh and has represented Britain at under-21 level.

Bridger rides for the Weymouth Wildcats Speedway Club, who lead the third-tier Conference League, although he is in talks with Elite League outfit Eastbourne Eagles.