money that goes to the top 25 owners and drivers.Early in th

Ipswich Witches captain Danny King gives Sky Sports an insight into the life of a professional Speedway rider. Speedway is hardly the kind of sport you can have after-school clubs for. You cant just nip to the park, jump on a bike and have a whizz around with your mates.The nature of the sport, and motorsport in general, makes it a difficult sport to get into as a youngster. Speak to most riders and it is something passed on down the generations and many follow a similar route to Dannys into the sport. Speaking to Sky Sports, King said: My dad got us into it. I think he had a go when he was a kid, but his parents couldnt afford it and I think it was his dream to get us into it - and it went from there really.I got into grass track, which is similar to speedway, when I was six. We did that until we were old enough to go to speedway because you cant race speedway until you are 15 or you couldnt when I was younger anyway.So we did grass track until the age of 11 or 12 really, then we started to do a bit of both. When I was 15, I went into full-time speedway. Many speedway riders start off racing grasstrack A unique part of the sport means that the vast majority of riders are paid based on performance, rather than a set contractual fee every week, like many other sports. As a youngster starting out it can be tough financially, with the cost of bikes and equipment adding up, it is tough to balance the books, and many riders take on other jobs. It is tough but I had to work as well as race, said King. I had a full-time job and I did that until I was good enough to go professional and earn enough to do speedway on its own, but I always worked up until then.It was difficult balancing the two jobs but luckily I had very understanding bosses and I took it as holiday when I needed to. The majority of speedway riders are paid based on performance A lot of the time it was only an hour here and there, because I could work til three oclock and then still get to most places to race at the meeting in the evening. It was a bit of give and take, I worked extra hours if I had to, but as long as I could go early for my speedway!Once up and running in the sport, the more successful you are the more hectic your schedule becomes. The former British U18 Champion rides at the top level in Britain and Denmark and the second division in Polands strong speedway pyramid.He has also rode in Swedens top-flight, meaning that despite grappling with a 500cc bike for a living, the travelling can sometimes be even more gruelling.When we are in full swing we are busy, said King. It depends on what leagues you are doing, but you have Sweden on Tuesday, Denmark on Wednesday, Poland Sunday and England every other day in between.You could have a week of Sunday Poland, Monday Wolverhampton, Tuesday Sweden, Wednesday Denmark, Thursday Ipswich, Friday Coventry - and so on, but then you might have a slower week so it comes in dribs and drabs. Speedway riders face a hectic schedule during the season A lot of travel organisation needs to be done as the riders jet around Europe, adding to an already busy lifestyle, but the 29-year-old prefers to deal with this side of the job himself, instead of involving an agent.I do it all myself but thats because I like doing it myself, its something I enjoy doing, he said. I like to know where Im at and I am in control of it. A lot of the time it is difficult and you need to work out is it best to go from here to here or straight there?, so obviously if there was another person Id always be constantly on the phone checking.Last season it was Dannys dedicated mechanical teams task to make sure that all the equipment found its way across Europe, meaning a van can become a second home in the world of speedway.And with life on the road during the season, it can be tough for professional athletes to maintain a regime and diet, but King does all he can to maintain the highest standards.Obviously we are racing so much so you dont have time to go to the gym 24/7 but obviously it is important when you are not racing to keep fit and get plenty of rest, he said.The diet is another hard thing, I always try and eat healthily as after a meeting it is late at night and the chances of getting anything healthy are slim! So that is part of the preparation, a nice healthy late lunch because I dont eat before a meeting and if you eat too early you get hungry by seven! So about two oclock on the day I will have some food. Injuries do not put King off the sport he loves When the riders are racing they are at their happiest, but there is always a downside to any sport and speedway is no different. The dangerous nature of speedway means riders will almost certainly suffer some serious injuries along the way but the Witches rider says it does not change a riders mentality towards the sport.He said: I think when you do something like this sport you understand that its a dangerous sport and injuries happen and I dont know any speedway rider that has gone through his career without getting injured. Its that kind of sport and you have that mentality. You accept it and if it happens it happens.As if injury was not hard enough to take, if youre not riding youre not earning in this sport and there is no chance of easing your way back into this sport after injury.King said: Obviously we have insurance, but we dont earn any money so its very important to have good insurance and good background with good physios and things like that, so you can get back on the bike as soon as possible.Im sure you could speak to some clubs and theyd have connections but mostly you sort that out yourself. Also See: Riders view: Off-season Riders view: race day Cheap Swingman Raptors Jerseys . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Nigel Hayes Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. http://www.cheapraptorsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-lucas-nogueira-jersey . 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HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Four drivers will compete for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the intensity for the trophy unchanged but for a champions bonus less than half of last seasons, sources tell ESPN.The overall point fund last year was $21.765 million, with the champion slated to earn about $4.7 million (Kyle Buschs take was less because he missed 11 races), and this year it will be less than half that amount.Second place last year paid $2.1 million, third $1.58 million, with seventh place on back earning less than a million.As part of the new charter system and in an effort to make their revenue stream more predictable, NASCAR and the team owners Race Team Alliance agreed to pay the champion less but spread the point fund more equitably throughout the top 25 drivers and teams.Drivers typically get paid a percentage of purse and point-fund money in addition to a base salary.The champion should get his level of money and then [Nos.] 2 through 4 should get his level of money and then each Chase [elimination] bracket should get their level of money, said Busch, who indicated he did not favor the new formula. What they tried to do is they tried to even it out from first all the way back to last in order to make the sport more sustainable for everybody.When youre the driver and not the owner and youre taking home a percentage of that, that hurts you really bad. It was done through the RTA. It wasnt done through the driver council. So we had absolutely no say in it so thats why its the way that it is.The overall point fund increased in 2016, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brett Dewar said, but he wouldnt elaborate, citing confidentiality clauses in the charters, about the distribution.The teams obviously had to share with the drivers what they were getting from NASCAR as they reworked agreements based on the new system unveiled in February.I think it is a million-and-a-half to win a Cup, six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. The last time I stood on stage, it was 7-and-a-half [million]. Its a huge change.Sources familiar with the charter agreements indicated the 2016 bonus to the championship team is much closer to $2 million than $1.5 million. The last time Johnson was on stage, in 2013, the champion bonus was $5.2 million, with Johnson and his team having total earnings of $14.66 million. Johnson and his team did get a $7.225 million champion bonus in 2008.It doesnt matter, Busch said. To me, how Ive always looked about it ... Ive always raced to achieve what I want too achieve based on success and results.ddddddddddddt hasnt been for the money. You do want to get paid for what you do. You want to get paid well if youre better at what you do. It all comes down to taking home trophies.NASCAR stopped publishing how much money a driver earns for the team each week in the purse and does not plan to publicize the bonus structure as it has in the past, citing the new charter system structure.The first race I won was $125, championship finalist Carl Edwards?said. We dont race for money, but Im sure it pays fine. ... Im not too worried about that part of it.The 36 charter teams get dollars from two pools of money based on participation -- a fixed amount each team gets, and then an amount based on the teams finishes the previous three years, most heavily weighted to the previous season, which means that the champion will earn more for his team over the next three years than if he had finished lower in the standings.Charter and non-charter teams vie for the same amount of purse money for each race through the field (obviously less than in past years because much of the money is part of the fixed amount) and year-end bonus money that goes to the top 25 owners and drivers.Early in the year, there was shuffling around, drivers getting their agreements situated, Johnson said. The money is still coming to the teams but where it goes and how the agreements read, from a purse standpoint, traditional purse standpoint, it is what it is.There are a handful of agents and lawyers who handle most contracts for drivers, who at the start of the year said the teams for the most part worked with them to try to adjust their pay scales to the new formula as it is no longer as simple as a percentage of the purse.Theres a whole formula involved, Busch said. Its quite confusing. So Im not exactly sure if Ill make 100 percent of what I made last year [if I win the title] or 80 percent or something within there. I dont know exactly.The drivers will find out how much money they make when the check comes.I dont even know what it pays to win this thing, finalist Joey Logano said. I will care, yes, but really my goal is to beat everyone. That is the biggest reward that you can feel from inside, that moment of victory, not the moment of the check.That is still really cool and you can do a lot of really great things with [the money] ... but that [winning moment] is the coolest thing. ' ' '