Following a meeting between the Directors of Buxton Speedway and the Directors of the BSPL, the Buxton Bulls were accepted into the 2026 National League. This was ratified by the British Development members at their meeting on Tuesday.

The Buxton trio of Tony and Melvyn Hipkiss and Laurence Rogers can now start planning for the new season. Rogers attended the meeting of the clubs that have committed to the league to discuss the league structure this week.

As a club, Buxton wants to stage as many meetings as possible and has offered to run British Youth meetings and put in to have any under 19 and 21 events required.

The air fence was erected at the weekend, and the SCB inspection is awaited so that it can be signed off and the club can start to arrange practices and training schools.

The opening meeting has been announced as being on Easter Sunday, April 5th, when the REGINA CHAIN fours are staged.

Now that the league meeting has been held and the points limit agreed, team building can commence, and signings can be announced.

BRITISH DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
SIX teams will contest the 2026 National Development League, including the welcome return of Buxton Speedway to official competition.

The Hi-Edge Raceway last staged league racing eight years ago, with the club having become a long-serving member of the third tier.

They are now being re-launched as the Bulls under the stewardship of the vastly experienced Laurence Rogers, and they were accepted into the NDL at this week’s British Development meeting, with an SCB track inspection due to take place at the Derbyshire venue in the near future.

Buxton will be joined in this season’s competition by defending champions Oxford Chargers, along with fellow existing members Edinburgh Monarchs Academy, Leicester Lion Cubs and Middlesbrough Tigers, whilst King’s Lynn Young Stars switch from the parallel NDT competition, which ran in 2025.

There is one NDL competition this season, and the teams will build to a points limit of 42 with seven riders in a team. Teams will meet once at home and once away, with the championship being decided based on the league table, with no play-offs.

The following regulations will apply:
* For riders who completed 2025 with an average in both NDL and NDT, the NDL average will apply for 2026. Any rider who has an existing NDT average but not an NDL will use their NDT average.
* Riders new to the NDL will enter on a 2.00 average, a reduction from 3.00, which applied last season.
* Riders who achieved an average of under 3.00 in 2025 will start the 2026 season on their actual average, subject to a minimum of 2.00.
* From the 2025 regulations, teams were permitted to include a maximum of one rider with a Championship average of 4.00-6.00 if that rider was not declared in a Championship or Premiership team. This regulation will be removed for 2026, and a team could therefore include more than one rider who falls into that category, subject, of course, to the points limit.
* Where ‘no facility’ is utilised for an absent rider in a team’s top five, this will be either a 3.00 or below Unattached Rider, or a rider with an established NDL average of 3.00 or below, subject to SCB Regulation 013.1.6a (a guest must have the same or lower MA than that of the absent rider).
* Where ‘no facility’ is utilised for an absent rider who is 6th or 7th in a team’s averages, this will be a 3.00 or below Unattached Rider, subject to SCB Regulation 013.1.6a (a guest must have the same or lower MA than that of the absent rider).

All NDL regulations are subject to SCB approval.

As part of the British Development regulations, all clubs not competing in the National Development League must participate in at least one of the following alternatives during the season: National League Riders Development Individual, Midland Development League, Northern Junior League, Second Half Open Invitation or a standalone British Youth Championship Round.

2026 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Buxton, Edinburgh, King’s Lynn, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Oxford.

Taken from; https://britishspeedway.co.uk/wsra-ndl/british-development-statement/