Conference League career: 2002 (Newport) 4.56, 2003 (Newport) 6.05, 2004 (Weymouth) three matches only, 2004 (Swindon) 6.58, 2004 (King's Lynn, Conference Trophy), one match only, 2005 (Newport) 6.93, 2006 (Weymouth, Conference Shield), three matches only, 2007 (Sittingbourne) 7.45
Elite League career: 2003 (Poole, British League Cup) 2.48
Premier League career: 2006 (Berwick) 3.93, 2007 (Somerset) 5.33
Starting Average: 3.95
DANNY Warwick took his first speedway laps when aged sixteen at Reading's training circuit in 2000. It wasn't until 2002 that he made his Conference League debut, however, when he rode for Newport against Carmarthen at Queensway Meadows on 1 April. In something of a sensational start, he sped to a tally of 11+1 points from seven starts, although his efforts couldn't prevent the Mavericks from slipping to a 46-43 reverse.
He went on to race in a total of eighteen league matches for the Welsh outfit and with 81-points to his name, posted a satisfactory 4.56 average. The year also saw him ride for Reading, when he made a guest appearance for the side in a Premier League encounter at Swindon on 29 August. Despite having to fill the absent Anders Henriksson's berth at No. 3, the youngster acquitted himself well to net 2 points from three starts.
In 2003, Warwick again represented Newport in the Conference League; his fourteen matches in their colours yielding 108 points and an improved 6.05 average. It was a busy season for the Dorset lad, since he also made six appearances for Poole in the British League Cup competition. It might have been an exalted level of racing with the Pirates, but Danny did reasonably well to total 8 points for a 2.48 average.
That wasn't the end of his activities for the year, since he also made guest appearances for both the senior Newport side and Exeter in the Premier League, and also rode in the opening meeting at the new Weymouth circuit, finishing as runner-up to Justin Elkins in the Wessex Rosebowl on 15 August.
Although Warwick began the 2004 campaign in a Weymouth race-jacket, he didn't stay with the Dorset side for long and subsequently linked with Swindon Sprockets. He proved to be a very dependable rider for the Wiltshire side, appearing in a full quota of twenty-four league matches and scoring 156 points for a solid 6.58 average. The highlight was a paid maximum (10+2 points) on 12 July, when the Sprockets ran riot to swamp Newport 65-27 in a one-sided match at the Abbey Stadium.
The rules in operation at the time also permitted the youngster to represent King's Lynn in the Conference Trophy, but he was to make just a solitary appearance for the Norfolk team.
He returned to race for the Newport Mavericks in 2005 and again remained ever-present over the slightly shorter 22-match programme, recording 165 points and an increased 6.93 average. A couple of paid maximums also came his way in the shape of 11+1 points against Oxford on 7 August and a tally of 14+1 versus Buxton on 16 October, both occurring at Queensway Meadows.
The young Dorseteer made his official Premier League bow in 2006, joining Berwick. This meant a long distance round-trip for home meetings but, despite this, Danny put together another ever-present campaign to register 99 points and a 3.93 average from the 26-match schedule.
Among many gritty performances, a couple at Shielfield Park particularly stood out; these being against Rye House on 8 July and versus Edinburgh on 5 August, when he registered totals of 11+1 and 11+3 points, respectively.
His reliability and willingness to do anything in the club's cause made him very popular with the Bandits' supporters and he deservedly scooped the end-of-season Rider of the Year award.
The season also saw him make three late appearances for Weymouth in the Conference Shield, his best showing being a 14-point return from an away encounter at Cleveland on 16 September.
In 2007, the Poole-born rider linked with Somerset and, remarkably, for a fourth successive season, stayed ever-present for his main side throughout the 28-match Premier League campaign, yielding 136 points and an impressive 5.33 average.
Generally, he was more consistent with his scoring and, somewhat ironically, his high spot occurred at Berwick on 26 May, when he gleaned 11+1 points at his former home circuit.Again, he was a real favourite amongst the supporters, who rewarded him with the Most Exciting Rider of the Season trophy at the club's presentation evening.
He also had a stint with Sittingbourne in the Conference League, making ten appearances and netting 81 points for a 7.45 average. Danny really hit top form for the Crusaders in an away match against Boston on 27 July, when he stormed to an 18-point full-house at the Saddlebow Road raceway.
Warwick will begin the 2008 term with an average of 3.95, because the green sheet figures that govern team-building and rider positioning are calculated with the exclusion of bonus points. Additionally, his final 4.05 average with Somerset is subject to the 2.5 per cent discount applicable to British riders, bringing it down to the 3.95 figure.
Born: 21st November, 1983, Poole, Dorset
