Mathieu "Mat" Trésarrieu (born 2 March 1986) is a French

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 rider who is a three-time champion of France.

Biography

Trésarrieu was born in Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 in 1986, and took up speedway at the age of twelve. His two older brother Stéphane and Sebastien are also speedway riders. He won the French national championship for the first time in 2002. Between 2002 and 2003 he rode for the Isle of Wight Islanders

Isle of Wight Islanders

The Isle of Wight Wightlink Islanders are a British Speedway team. They currently compete in the National League and ride at the Smallbrook Stadium....

 in seven matches, but only got a regular league place in 2005 when he rode in forty matches for Reading Racers

Reading Racers

Reading Racers were a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history...

 at an average score of 5.6. In 2006 he moved on to Redcar Bears

Redcar Bears

The Redcar Bears are a British Speedway team. They currently compete in the Premier League. Captain of the team is 1992 World Champion Gary Havelock. In 2007 the Bears won their first major honour, beating the Birmingham Brummies to win the Young Shield...

, where he stayed for two seasons, averaging over seven in each. He won the French title for a second time in 2007, and (after missing the 2008 season through injury) for a third time in 2009. He also finished third in the Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship

Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship

This is the complete list of Individual Long Track World Championship medalists from 1971 to 2010. Also included are the medalists from 1957 to 1970 when the championship was known as the European Individual Long Track Championship...

 in 2007. He returned to British speedway in 2010 in the Elite League

Speedway Elite League

The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...

 with Peterborough Panthers

Peterborough Panthers

The Peterborough Panthers are a British speedway team based in Peterborough, England.They were the British Elite League Speedway Champions in 1999 and 2006...

, but failed to get a starting place at the start of the 2011 season. An injury to Ilya Bondarenko

Ilya Bondarenko (speedway rider)

- Biography :Born 16 February 1982 in Togliatti, his brother Pavel is also a speedway rider, and their uncle Anatoliy Bondarenko was twice world ice speedway champion.Bondarenko first represented Russia in 2006...

 gave him an opportunity with Leicester Lions, and later in 2011 he signed for Ipswich Witches

Ipswich Witches

The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....

 to replace the injured Chris Schramm, riding as part of the team that won the Premier League Four-Team Championship at Leicester.