A TEENAGE speedway star has regained consciousness after he was nearly killed in a high-speed crash.

Ashley Johnson, 18, from Teesside, was thrown from his bike while racing at a speedway venue in Suffolk at the weekend.

Doctors feared the teenager could be left permanently brain damaged, but he yesterday regained consciousness and has started speaking to his family who rushed from Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesbrough, to be by his side.

He is recovering in the high dependency unit at West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, following the crash at Mildenhall race track.

Ashley is a member of the Middlesbrough Bears speedway team and has been described as a bright hope for the future.

He was training with Michael Lee, the 1980 world speedway champion, when the accident happened during the last training race of the day, on Saturday.

Mr Lee visited Ashley in hospital yesterday.

Afterwards, he said: "He is fully alert now and knows everything that is going on.

"It's going to take a little bit of time before the doctors tell the family about the level of damage he has sustained.

"He is talking to his family but is still very sleepy."

Mr Lee was track-side when the crash occurred.

He said: "It was the last race of the day and he just caught a little grit as he went round a bend. He got it under control, but he then caught a fence and that seemed to break the throttle.

"The bike accelerated and he came off and really hit his head. It's terrible, but riders know the risks involved in speedway."

Ashley suffered bleeding around his brain following the crash but Mr Lee said it was too early for doctors to say if he will make a full recovery or race again.

Mr Lee said: "He is a real prospect, make no mistake. He has done motorcross and to come and take on speedway at just 18 is impressive.

"He's a real competitor. The first thing he wanted to know was where he had come in the race.