The motor racing couple speed dating with no brakes

A young couple who are both speedway riders have spoken about going head-to-head on the track.

Jody Scott, 19, from King's Lynn in Norfolk, who this year claimed the British under-19 championship, shone riding for the Oxford Chargers.

Towards the end of this season he lined up for the Chargers against Edinburgh Monarchs Academy, which included his 19-year-old Australian girlfriend Anika Loftus.

Scott said racing your girlfriend "is something that's never happened before" as they both talked about their adrenaline-fuelled romance.

Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford's Gemma Hill, Scott said he did not know anything about Loftus before they met in May.

On 4 September they rode against each other in the WSRA National Development League fixture at Armadale Stadium in Scotland which ended with a 51–39 victory for Edinburgh.

Loftus was the only female rider in the league and it was the first time she and her boyfriend faced each other on opposite sides.

"Edinburgh's got the big screen there and I had a cheeky look at it and I see Anika was putting her helmet on and getting ready to go out," Scott said.

He explained that they left from different gates and he "made sure I went the other way".

"I expected I was going to be racing her at some point and then when we got together - it's kind of a mind-blowing thing to think."

Loftus said "it's not like you get the opportunity every day".

"We've been pretty, pretty excited actually and maybe down the track I think it'll be cool to look back on."

Scott also raced against Anika's brother, 17-year-old Jordy Loftus.

Loftus said of her and her brother's achievements: "Ever since we were little we'd always dreamt of riding together on a professional level and then to actually have it come true, it's just been such an amazing experience

"It's not every day you race your brother and your boyfriend on the track at the same time."

She said Scott and Loftus have been racing each other for a while, "so they're quite comfortable with each other on the track".

"Throwing me into the mix I was like 'Hopefully, I can just stay out of it and ride my own race'."

Loftus says she "never expected to be given the opportunity" to race in the UK but was "excited" when Edinburgh's manager Scott Wilson called her.

"Every meeting I've improved and I've scored more points and contributed to the team," she says, reflecting that not many women are riding in the UK leagues.

"To be one of the first it's really honourable and hopefully in the near future a few more girls can be on the track."

The couple are now preparing for a long-haul trip for the speedway season in Australia.

Despite racing in places such as Poland and all over UK, Scott has always previously taken his bike in a van and this will be his first flight.

"It's is going to be the furthest distance possible for me but I'm looking forward to it."