Danny Ayres

Daniel Stuart Ayres (16 August 1986 – 1 February 2020) was a speedway rider who rode in Great Britain.[3]

Danny Ayres
Born(1986-08-16)16 August 1986[1]
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk[2]
Died1 February 2020(2020-02-01) (aged 33)
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
2014–2016Kent Kings
2016Glasgow Tigers
2017Cradley Heathens
2017King's Lynn Stars
2017Leicester Lions
2017Redcar Bears
2018–2019Mildenhall Fen Tigers
2019Scunthorpe Scorpions[1]
Team honours
2015National League Pairs
2016Premier League Knockout Cup
2018National Trophy[1]

Career

Ayres began his career in motocross and converted to speedway relatively late, in 2014. He rode for various teams, including Kent Kings, Glasgow Tigers, King's Lynn Stars, Leicester Lions, Redcar Bears, and Scunthorpe Scorpions.[1] He and Ben Morley were National League Pairs champions in 2015, and Ayres came second in the 2015 National League Riders' Championship.[2]

The final official averages of 2019 gave Danny Ayres an average of 5.51 on the Scunthorpe Scorpions Championship team.[4]

He was injured in a National League match in August 2019, breaking his left tibia.[2] He did not ride again competitively until January 2020.[5] At the time of his death, according to SpeedwayGB, "he [was] preparing for the forthcoming season with Premiership Ipswich [Witches] and Scunthorpe [Scorpions] in the Championship."[6]

Death

Ayres died unexpectedly in February 2020 of suicide.[2][7][8] In the East Anglian Daily Times, written after Ayres' death, he was described as being "hugely popular with speedway folk throughout the country for his all-action style."[9] Various people paid tribute, including Scott Nicholls, Scunthorpe Scorpions, Cradley Heathens, and Peterborough Panthers.[10][11]

No cause of death was announced at the time, but immediately after his death, his partner described it as him having "lost his battle" and encouraged anyone struggling with their mental health to seek help.[12][13]

At his funeral, on the 14 February, the hearse made a final lap of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers' track.[14][15]

References
  1. "RIDERS - A - British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  2. Farrell, Paul (1 February 2020). "Danny Ayres Dead: Speedway Racer Dies at 33". Heavy.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  3. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  4. "2019 SGBC TEAM DECLARATIONS and GREEN SHEETS: 2019 SGBC TEAM DECLARATIONS and GREEN SHEETS Issue 34 Final Averages" (PDF). SpeedwayGB. 30 October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  5. "Ayres Back On A Bike". Danny Ayres Racing #15. 5 January 2020.
  6. "DANNY AYRES - British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  7. Gardener, Luke (1 February 2020). "Danny Ayres dead: British Speedway star dies suddenly at age of 33". Daily Express. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  8. "Danny Ayres: British Speedway rider dies suddenly". BBC News Online. 2 February 2020.
  9. Bacon, Mike (2 February 2020). "Speedway shock at death of Danny Ayres, who was set to race for Ipswich Witches in 2020". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  10. Richards, Alex (1 February 2020). "British speedway star Danny Ayres dies aged 33". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  11. "'Danny was a great partner, fantastic dad, brilliant rider': Family pay tribute to speedway star Danny Ayres". Newmarket Journal. 6 February 2020.
  12. "Danny Ayres death: Partner urges fans over mental health". BBC News Online. 3 February 2020.
  13. "'Danny's highs were higher than anyone else's' - speedway star's dad on son's 'demons'". ITV. 14 February 2020.
  14. "Danny Ayres: Final lap for 'brilliant' speedway rider". BBC News Online. 14 February 2020.
  15. "Lap of the track marks start of speedway star Danny Ayres' funeral". ITV. 14 February 2020.
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