Weymouth Wildcats have taken the first steps towards forming a breakaway speedway league, Echosport can reveal.

As a nomadic team without a home track, Weymouth were controversially forbidden from competing in 2020 by the British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA).

They were also banned from using the Weymouth Wildcats name without a host circuit.

Their last league action came in 2019 with the Midland & Southern Development League (MSDL).

Weymouth, plus fellow nomads Reading, Carmarthen, Exeter and Milton Keynes, were then refused entry to the 2020 campaign.

In a fresh twist, the Isle of Wight have affiliated themselves with NORA motorsport – splitting from governing body the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB).

It is understood Weymouth have applied to join NORA, are waiting on acceptance and would then require a parent track.

Wildcats co-promoter James Tresadern told Echosport: “We can ride under the NORA licence, rather than the SCB.

“We’re hoping to gain affiliation to NORA and see how we go. We don’t want to get people’s hopes up.

“The Isle of Wight have made it publicly clear they’re not happy with the BSPA. They’re going to make sure there’s a full summer of speedway on the island.

“The SCB don’t want to know us. If you haven’t got a track, they don’t want you involved.”

Tresadern feels the absence of a development league is diluting the quality of the top leagues.

“What they’re trying to do is put untried and untested kids straight into the National League, which is not the way we’re going about things,” he said.

“It’s like having half of Weymouth Football Club with Manchester United. They’re trying to get teams to sell a standard meeting with sub-standard riders.

“They’re not quite up to par. They haven’t got the experience of a national league, whereas if they have a season in the MSDL they’re ready and know what they face when they step up.”

If a good number of teams join NORA, a breakaway development league for young and up and coming riders could be formed.

This would help bridge the gap to Premiership and Championship level. Wildcats’ Dorset neighbours Poole Pirates dropped to Championship standard in November 2019.

The SCB governs the Premiership and Championship divisions in what is currently recognised as the UK’s leading competition.

And the emergence of NORA as a potential breeding ground for a new league could interest defunct teams looking to rekindle their clubs.

Tresadern added: “We’ve got to look into that. We just want to be affiliated so we’ve got licenses to do what we want to do.

“Once we’re affiliated we can use the name ‘Weymouth’. It won’t be for a league until we know how many and what teams are going to join it.

“You could have Reading, Carmarthen, Milton Keynes join and Crayford Kestrels.

“A lot of teams could appear out of the woodwork and it would be better for the sport. They’d all be nomadic without a home track.

“Everybody split from the BDO to the PDC in the darts. If it works, it works.

“We’ve got to make sure it works. Hopefully more teams will join. Moving forward with the sport, NORA is the way to go.

“The SCB are not interested in giving kids track time to develop them, which is what it’s all about.

“It’s the development of the next set of riders coming through.”

NORA’s core of affiliated teams compete in motocross and quad racing, with many riders then switching to speedway.

Sittingbourne and the Isle of Wight are the only speedway clubs currently under the NORA umbrella.