Huntingdon speedway racer Danny King has issued a public thank-you to a rival rider who avoided running him over by millimetres during a major meeting.

King was riding for his Coventry Bees side in the first leg of an Elite League play-off semi-final against Poole Pirates live on Sky Sports last night (Friday).

He lost control of his bike going through the opening bend of heat 10 and hit the deck before sliding across the track into the path of Poole racer Davey Watt, who managed to take extraordinary evasive action to miss King was the narrowest of margins.

King said: “I can’t thank Davey enough for missing me. I’ve got so much respect for the way he reacted and certainly owe him one.

“There was a big rut in the track and I didn’t see it until it was too late. I couldn’t stay on the bike and it was just a case of curling myself up and hoping for the best after that.”

King was able to pick himself up from that spill – and another one later in the meeting – to play a starring role in a late recovery from his team.

King was involved in maximum 5-1 returns in each of the last two races also with Danish team-mate Hans Andersen as Coventry recovered from eight points down to draw 45-45 ahead of the second leg at Poole, also being televised, on Monday.