SPEEDWAY rider Danny Hodgson has revealed more about plans to revive the Bradford Dukes as a nomadic team and possibly raise enough funds to eventually help bring them back to Odsal.

Hodgson, now 38, had his formative rides at the vast West Yorkshire bowl as a teenager during what proved to be the club’s final season in 1997.

Now, after a six-year break from the sport, the former Buxton, Sheffield, Boston and Isle of Wight racer is on the comeback trail, buoyed by dreams of resurrecting his home-town team.

Bradford would not be the first defunct club to re-invent themselves without having a home track.

The name Halifax Dukes was resurrected 15 years ago, riding with makeshift teams in challenge matches and as a junior side at multiple venues.

Cradley Heath functioned as a National League side for a decade, using Birmingham’s Perry Barr and Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green stadiums as a base, before giving up on the task of finding a new permanent home and folding last winter.

Middlesbrough Bears is perhaps the most notable success story with a few enthusiasts keeping the name alive after their Cleveland Park track was redeveloped in 1996, only for established promoter Chris Van Straaten to build a brand new circuit for the re-christened Redcar Bears on the other side of the city a decade later.

Tong-based electrician Hodgson has teamed-up with another former rider Wayne Carter, who lives in Halifax and has run regular training schools at Scunthorpe for over a decade.

“I hadn’t ridden since I broke my arm at Scunthorpe in 2013 and sold most of my equipment,” explained Hodgson.

“But I kept a motocross bike which I recently swapped with Wayne for a speedway bike and got the bug again.

“I’ve done a couple of amateur meetings where he runs training schools at Scunthorpe.

“He has always been involved with the nomadic Halifax team and we started talking about doing the same thing with Bradford.

“Wayne still has so many contacts within the sport and said he had lots of lads who would make up a team and we hope to get enough interest to maybe get some investment.

“I’ve spoken to the promoters at Newcastle, Redcar and Scunthorpe and they are keen to help if we got a team together.

“The dream is to get racing back to Odsal as there’s a perfectly good stadium there doing nothing at the moment and, while the rest may be a bit dilapidated, the main stand is big enough to accommodate the crowds we might get for speedway.”

RFL chief operating officer Tony Sutton said last month that he was open to offers for the potential use of Odsal, which is currently mothballed with Bradford Bulls having left to play at Dewsbury this season.

The cost of reintroducing motor sport at the stadium is thought would be considerable.

One promoter reckons the return of both speedway and stock car racing to Odsal could cost up to £200,000, though other estimates vary.

The Bulls’ aim is to get the club playing back in Bradford as soon as is practical, with the prospect of them returning to Odsal still open.