The rise and fall of Newport's speedway team which used to draw crowds of thousands

Newport Wasps had a purpose-built stadium in Queensway Meadows and competed at the highest level of motorcycle speedway

Nick Mallett was 10 years old the first time he set eyes on a motorcycle speedway race, and he's been hooked ever since.

Up to six enormous singled-geared machines with no brakes lurched from the starting line at Hayley Stadium, on the eastern reaches of Newport, on that wet day in 1997, ridden by men wearing thick helmets and masks.

The bikes flew into expertly controlled powerslides around the corners of the giant oval track with merely centimetres between them at times, reaching speeds of up to 70mph on the straights.

The air filled with the smell of petrol, and the rider's tyres shot shards of shale and dirt into the tall barrier behind which stood thousands of spectators.

After four anti-clockwise laps somebody would normally win, but the rider and his bike were often so muddy it could sometimes take a moment to figure out who it was.

Nick, now 33, had witnessed the return of the Newport Wasps speedway team for the first time ever in a purpose-built stadium.

"I thought I was looking at superheroes without capes," Nick said.

"I had never seen speedway before. I thought it was the best thing I had ever seen."

The Wasps enjoyed a brief incarnation sharing Somerton Park with the old Newport County between 1964 and 1976, before moving to Bristol.

Promoter Tim Stone worked tirelessly to bring speedway back to Newport, financing and building Hayley Stadium in Queensway Meadows himself.

Nick's grandfather had been a fan in the '60s and '70s, so took Nick along to witness Newport's return in 1997.

"Everybody was so excited to see it back, the stadium was full," Nick said. "They were having to turn people away.

"There must have been three or four thousand people in there watching that first meeting and everyone was so young in the team.

"It got rained off after 10 races. We didn't get to watch a full meeting but the next week they obviously came back and had another go."

Hooked on the sport, Nick managed to get himself a bike and began riding as a mascot in the early days of the reformed Wasps.

His father Steve Mallett, who owned haulage firm Mallett Transport Services, began sponsoring riders for many years.

Nick himself eventually worked his way up to becoming a team rider.

"I started riding in 1999 and then I rode for Great Britain in 2000," Nick said.

"I rode professionally then until 2008."

Newport enjoyed several years of success at Hayley Stadium.

The junior side, known as the Newport Mavericks, won the 1999 Speedway Conference League, and the seniors won the first Premier Trophy in 1999.

The speedway pulled in considerable crowds for many years while the sport saw a surge in popularity across the UK.

But in April 2008, the club's champion and promoter Tim Stone died suddenly at the age of 55.

The British Speedway Promoters' Association told the BBC at the time: "He is the man who revived the sport in south Wales back in 1997 and he will always be remembered for that.

"Tim was a very passionate man, he cared deeply about his work and was very protective of Newport Speedway.

"He is a very sad loss to the sport."

The future of Newport Wasps was thrown into uncertainty and the team was forced to withdraw from the Premier League in the early 2008 season.

Steve and Nick Mallett eventually stepped in and bought the club, all but rescuing it from total collapse.

Nick ended his riding career and became the youngest promoter in speedway history.

"I rang my father up and I said 'look I don't really like trucks to be honest can we buy a speedway stadium?'" Nick said.

"I knew I was young but we hoped with my father's experience in business we could make it work.

"We purchased it hoping we could turn it around."

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Nick said the venture was bought for just under £100,000, which at the time he assumed was a bargain with a 100-year lease on the stadium.

But once the speedway restarted, higher rents began to become a squeeze on the team's viability.

Despite difficulties, the Mallett family managed to keep the Newport Wasps running for several more years.

Their last season in 2011 was arguably their most successful, finishing in the top end of the table and winning the KOC against league champions Glasgow.

Financial difficulties, and falling numbers at the turnstiles, meant the team were unable to continue for another season.

"We were losing two or three thousand pounds a week by the end," Nick said.

"It just took its toll in the end and we had to make the decision as a family which direction you went.

"We couldn't afford to keep it going forever when you're losing that kind of money."

The final nail in the coffin came when the team was preparing for the 2012 season.

Stock car racing was planned to become part of the roster of events at Hayley Stadium as a way to offset losses made on the speedway.

But an agreement couldn't be reached and in February, 2012, Steve Mallett confirmed the club would fold with immediate effect.

Hayley Stadium fell silent but very soon after began to fall victim to vandalism and arson.

After several years, the site's owners demolished the stadium.

Now, little more than an outline of the old track can be seen from satellite images.

"For me personally it was traumatic," Nick said.

"For a while I was lost. I didn't know what to do because I had always raced motorbikes. I had spent the best part of 15 years of my life doing motorbikes.

"I had to retrain to be a truck driver so that I had a wage coming in.

"When we finished with the speedway my father only had two trucks left. So I had to build that back up. We have 15 again now."

Now a husband and father of three, Nick said he has spent the last few years working for the family business.

But he still holds on to hope that speedway can return to Newport again.

"If it's in your blood, it's in your blood," Nick said.

"I just wish somebody would find somewhere. If someone could offer a piece of ground I would build them a track."