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Max Clegg joins Stellar Monarchs Academy | News Centre | Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway
Stellar Monarchs Academy have moved quickly to fill the gap in their team caused by the retirement of Kyle Bickley by bringing back to Armadale Max Clegg, a Monarch for four seasons 2015 to 2018, and regarded as something of an Armadale track specialist. He will ride his first match on 17th June against Leicester Cubs at Armadale.
Max himself has had an unlucky spell over the last couple of seasons and had no team place after dropping out of the Scunthorpe side recently – tough on a speedway-loving lad who at one time was active in all three British Leagues.
Max is currently working as a van driver but says “I’ve done this before, they are very good with me and I can get the time off I need for speedway.”
Max started 2022 at Newcastle, lost that when the Diamonds closed, then was part of the Leicester Championship side which came close to winning the Championship. “I enjoyed being at Leicester and I didn’t have a bad season with them. They are a good club and even though they went up to the Premiership, I would have liked to stay with them. But it wasn’t meant to be.”
This year he was part of the band of 5-6 point average riders without places, until Scunthorpe offered him the chance as they tried to adjust after the loss of Zaine Kennedy.
“I had a few meetings with Scunthorpe and I struggled to be honest, I was a bit race-rusty. I did have a crash and caused some bike damage. I expected to do well there, I had scored well there riding for Leicester in 2022. I think I got scores of 7 and 8.”
Max also took the runners-up spot on the National League Riders Championship at Scunthorpe, after a run-off with Jason Edwards. This is the level the Monarchs Academy will be expecting as he replaces Bickley, forming a strong heat leader alongside Jacob Hook and Adam Roynon.
“I hadn’t been looking to return to National League really,” Max admits, “but the main thing is that I can get back to enjoying my racing. I’m happy to be at Armadale again as I have spent quite a bit of my career there. I know the club and the track very well.
“I hope I will be able to pass some of my knowledge of the place on to the younger team members. I know most of them pretty well, they seem a great bunch of lads.”
Max’s current NDL average is 11.83. To accommodate this in the team, Mickie Simpson makes way for the time being with Cumbrian newcomer to the sport Mark Parker coming into the side on a 3.00 average.
