Josh Auty signs as full asset for Scorpions

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions have signed Josh Auty as a full asset of the club, after purchasing his contract from Coventry.

23-year-old Auty returned for his second spell at the club in 2012, having made his original debut for the Scorpions in late 2005, shortly after his 15th birthday. He rode both the 2012 and 2013 seasons for Scunthorpe while on loan from Coventry, and started the 2014 season at the Eddie Wright Raceway in a similar capacity.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “This has been on the agenda for some time – I’d been after buying Josh’s contract for a while, and I concluded business with Coventry last weekend. The last thing left was for Josh to sign, and that wasn’t a problem at all.

“It makes perfect sense. We want Josh to ride for us, and in return, Josh wants to ride here and be part of this club. It also makes it easier next year; we don’t need to discuss loan terms with another club – it removes one obstacle.

“I often describe Josh as ‘Mr Entertainment’, because he provides so many thrills on the track – he never knows when he’s beaten and he’s won races it seemed it was impossible to win. The Scunthorpe fans love him.

“But I rate him as a speedway rider in any case. He’s a rider of No 1 calibre at Premier League level.

“He’s also still young – people forget he is only 23, because he started riding for us in 2005 as soon as he was 15.

“I still think Josh will become a No 1 at Elite League level. He’s got a lot of speedway in front of him, and he’s a good investment. As a club, we have a good asset base, but we needed more top-line assets. Josh fits that bill.

“Plus I want riders who want to ride for us as our assets – and that is the case with Josh. We have an excellent relationship with Josh, and long may that continue.”

Josh was No 1 at the Eddie Wright Raceway in both 2012 and 2013.

The 23-year-old from Mirfield in West Yorkshire is also something of a lucky charm for the club. Josh has completed four full seasons for the Scorpions – in the Conference League in 2006 & 2007 and Premier League in 2012 & 2013. And the Scorpions have ended up as league champions in three of those four years, the odd one out being 2013.

Josh was British Under-15 Champion in both 2004 and 2005.

He made his first appearance for the Scorpions shortly after his 15th birthday in late 2005. The following two seasons saw Josh quickly developed into one of the best riders in the sport’s third tier, as the Scorpions swept all before them.

Between 2008 and 2011, Josh rode for both Redcar and Sheffield in the Premier League.

In 2012 he returned to Scunthorpe, and was instrumental in the Scorpions taking the Premier League title, topping the club averages and he was involved in the final heat 3-3 that clinched the championship in the most exciting of circumstances, as the Scorpions defeated Somerset 92-91 on aggregate.

Josh rode at No 1 all season for the Scorpions in 2013. He again finished top of the club’s averages, although the exclusion of bonus points (of which he scored plenty) from the official Green Sheet Averages has meant he has relinquished his No 1 spot at the start of 2014.

He was the 2010 Premier League Pairs Champion (which he won alongside Sheffield team-mate Ricky Ashworth). Wearing the No 18 reserve racejacket, Josh took a ride during the 2013 British Grand Prix and defeated Antonio Lindback, a twice GP winner.

One of the most exciting riders in the Premier League, Josh is well-known for his exciting swoops from the back and his style is well-suited to the wide, fast Eddie Wright Raceway.

Josh was extremely unfortunate to find himself without an Elite League berth at the start of 2014, especially as Josh played an important part in the Birmingham side that topped the EL table in 2013, before missing out to Poole in the play-off final.

Godfrey has also sold three assets in the past week. Stefan Nielsen and Oliver Greenwood have been sold to Coventry, while Steve Worrall has followed in the tyre-tracks of twin brother Richie and been bought by Belle Vue.

None of these riders have competed for Scunthorpe in either 2013 or 2014.