Simon Stead

Born in Sheffield, Stead started his career at local track Sheffield Tigers before riding for Buxton Hitmen, Peterborough Panthers and Workington Comets.^[4][5]

In 1999 and 2000, he was part of the Sheffield four that won the Premier League Four-Team Championship.^[6]

Stead was British Under-21 Champion three times in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 and also won the Premier League Pairs Championship with Carl Stonehewer in 2003.^[7]

Stead reached the final of the 2004 Premier League Riders Championship won by Andre Compton. Going into the final, Stead was unbeaten and was involved in a crash with Compton, which caused multiple injuries to both riders. Compton was awarded the title.^[8] Also in 2004, he was part of the Workington four that won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 21 August 2004, at the Derwent Park.^[9]

Stead signed for Belle Vue Aces prior to the start of the 2005 season and had three seasons with the club. In those three seasons he progressed from a reserve to a heat leader. He was chosen to represent Great Britain in the 2005 Speedway World Cup and the 2006 Speedway World Cup. Additionally, he was given the wildcard spot for the 2006 British Speedway Grand Prix, where he scored 3 points from 5 rides^[7] and won the 2006 Elite League Pairs Championship along with then teammate Jason Crump.

He went on to represent Great Britain again in the 2007 and 2008 Speedway World Cups. For the 2008 season Stead joined the Coventry Bees on loan.

In 2009, he signed a contract which involved him moving from Coventry to the Swindon Robins and won the 2012 Elite League with Swindon.^[10]

He re-signed with Sheffield Tigers in 2013 with the option of doubling up with King's Lynn Stars, his season was cut short by a broken leg sustained while practising in June, and signed for Sheffield Tigers again in 2014 doubling up with Leicester Lions.^[11]

In 2014, he won the Premier League Riders Championship, held on 21 September at his home track of Owlerton. It was reward for the misfortune experienced the year before and also made up for the disaster in the same event ten years earlier.^[12] He won the Riders' Championship for the second time in 2016.^[13]

In 2017, Stead moved in to team management, and won the SGB Championship with Sheffield Tigers. In 2018 he took on the team manager role for both Tigers and Leicester Lions. In September 2019 he was appointed as joint team manager (with Oliver Allen) of the Great Britain speedway team.^[14]

• List of Speedway Grand Prix riders