Berwick Bandits have completed their 2026 speedway line-up with the capture of highly-rated Australian Reid Battye.
The 24-year-old (pictured), who won the Northern Territory State Championship late last year, will be making his British debut with the Borders’ side.
An accomplished all-round motorcycle racer, Battye competed in SuperSport and Superbikes both nationally and internationally before switching to shale, catching the eye of former Grand Prix rider Craig Boyce, among others.
Born in Bermagui, New South Wales, Battye was also active on the ultra-competitive Australian dirt track scene which has been a proving ground for the likes of Sam Masters and Josh Pickering, both former Edinburgh Monarchs stars, over the years.
Reid arrives in the Borders on a four-point average and will start alongside Jack Smith at reserve for the new season and the newcomer competed in all four rounds of the recently completed Australian National Championship, won by Jack Holder, scoring 19 points.
The R.E.D Bandits, powered by STS, have also signed Peter Kildemand, Nick Morris, Victor Palovaara, Lasse Fredriksen and Jye Etheridge as they revamp their team having missed the 2025 play-offs by two points.
Stewart Dickson, Bandits’ team manager, said: “In an interview on the club’s Total Access channel before Christmas I told Berwick fans that we were taking our time so we could make the right decision on the final piece in our 2026 team.
“Of the four riders we were considering Reid pushed himself to the front of the queue with some impressive performances in Australia.”
Dickson added: “He might be young in terms of speedway experience, and has never ridden in a team sport before, but he has a lot of racing under his belt in other disciplines.
“I believe that along with club owner, Jamie Courtney, and co-promoters Steve Dews and Sarah Bulman, I have put together a team that will be challenging on all three fronts in 2026 and one that the supporters will get behind.”
Meanwhile, Etheridge has become the fifth rider to agree a return to Sheffield Tigers.
