KING'S Lynn have added Boston-born Mickie Simpson to their line-up for the 2026 National Development League season.

The 21-year-old has been a regular in the NDL since 2021 and previously won a league and KO Cup double with Leicester.

Last season he rode for the combined Scunthorpe/Sheffield ‘Steelers' team, and a very impressive start to the campaign saw him average 8.42 from four matches, including a paid maximum in a win over Oxford.

He also lined up for Plymouth in the National Development Trophy, but his racing in both competitions ended prematurely after he suffered femur and pelvis injuries in a crash at Dutch grasstrack venue Staphorst.

Simpson is fully fit and raring to go for the 2026 campaign and admits he's delighted to make the move to the Adrian Flux Arena.

He said: "King's Lynn was a club I wanted to ride for last year ideally, and it never materialised, but I'm very excited now to be somewhere local and at a place where the people who have supported me all of my life can come and support me!

"Jason (Pipe) is a passionate guy, and it's great to ride for a club that is passionate about speedway. He really makes that known and shows how much he loves the sport.

"I also think it's great to be with the likes of Simon (Lambert) and Jake (Mulford). Simon is a role model who we can all look up to, and I've grown up with Jake and get along really well with him too

"It's going to be a very strong league this year, and it's definitely good that we've got some good experience in the team. I think that's going to be crucial to not only myself but the team as a whole for advice on where we can improve and what we can do to win together.

"Every single race I do, I want to get better. You hear it from riders higher up the ranks all the time, they're always learning, and even if I learn something every meeting it's steps in the right direction.

"I'm still young but a lot has gone on personally in the last two or three years, and I'm a hell of a lot happier in life now which makes it much easier to go out on the track and enjoy riding my bike."

Simpson's arrival means the Young Stars have just one place to fill in their team, which should be confirmed early next week.

And manager Jason Pipe says he's pleased that Simpson's high average has not ended up counting against him when it came to securing a team place.

Pipe said: "I've known Mickie since around 2016/17, when he was a mascot at Peterborough when I was the second half coordinator there. He is a rider I've kept my eye on ever since.

"What a character – he's a lovely lad, he likes to be the joker in the team, but he also knows when to be professional.

"If he can put as much effort into his racing this year as he does in talking for England, then I can see Mickie having one of his best seasons to date. I know Mickie won't mind me saying that!

"With the way in which the averages were worked out for this season, he may have had to sit out the start of the year because even though the points limit went up, no other club fancied him on his 8.42 average. Luckily I've been able to fit him into our team and he's very happy now to be racing for his local club.

"I've told Mickie that I'm not expecting him to go out and put pressure on himself to achieve that starting average. We have to be realistic here. But I do really believe that he can press on now with his speedway career.

"With one rider still to name, this is now five out of six riders who are all local to King's Lynn, which can only be a good thing. Not only on keeping travel costs down for home meetings, but with these riders living close by to each other, they all know each other pretty well and won't have any problems at all settling into the side."