Speedway: Rider Lee Richardson killed

Speedway rider Lee Richardson has died following a crash in Poland.

Richardson, 33, was competing for PGE Marma Rzeszow against Betard Sparta Wroclaw when he crashed into a safety fence. The Lakeside Hammers captain was taken to a hospital in Wroclaw but died from his injuries.

A statement on the Hammers website read: “All at the club are devastated at the loss of a great captain, man and more than anything else a wonderful father and husband. Our thoughts are with his family at this most sad of times.” Hammers co-promoter Jon Cook added: “Lee’s loss to his family is beyond imagination and I can’t see further than that at the moment.”

Tributes poured in for Richardson, who was world Under-21 champion in 1999, with many riders taking to Twitter to express their disbelief.

World champion Greg Hancock wrote: “Unreal news I just heard! It doesn’t seem real and another innocent one is gone. Our thoughts are with the whole Richardson Family. RIP Lee.”