The smell of methanol, the roar of engines and screeching of tyres spinning off a gravel track will provide the soundtrack to summer in the north of Glasgow.

The Glasgow Tigers will embark on a new Speedway season from their base in the rickety old Ashfield Stadium in Possilpark, where they hope to maintain a Scottish sporting tradition that stretches all the way back to the post-war era.

It is a tradition that was in danger of being completely eroded when they faced financial ruin last year. That was avoided when Alun Biggart, an exiled Scottish businessman who now resides in Copenhagen, stepped in to offer his support.

The day-to-day running of the club has been overtaken by four new directors and the club are desperate to launch themselves into the beginning of the racing calendar which runs from the end of this month until October, with races taking place every Sunday afternoon.

And while they hope to compete and challenge for honours, the biggest fight they will have is in getting people through the door in order to ensure that there is a support network in place for them.

Sunday afternoons at 3pm are the chosen times for races, in the hope that this ensures that things don't run too late into the night for those with young families who wish to get along and sample something a bit different.

And while it is a sport that many dismiss before sampling it, rider James Wright has insisted that until you see the real thing it is impossible to appreciate the skill and very real sense of danger that greets the guys every time they clamber onto a bike.

"I still feel the fear, every time," said the 26-year-old Englishman who will commute up and down every weekend from his home in Manchester. "You have to realise the bikes are incredibly powerful and when you are out there trying to negotiate your way round the track, you are at the mercy of it.

"It is just you and the bike and one mistake, one slip of concentration and you are coming off. But that is what makes it such a thrill as well.

"I've broken my wrists a couple of times but other than that I haven't fared too badly, touch wood.

"But it does make a massive difference to us if there is a crowd. You hear it and it pumps you up that little bit. You need a bit of atmosphere to add to the occasion and even just knowing that there is a sizeable crowd there watching you gives you a little bit of extra adrenalin.

"I would urge anyone to come along and see what it's like. I've watched it on TV and doesn't come anywhere close to sampling the real thing live when you can see for yourself the speed that we are going at and can appreciate just how exciting it is.

"Unless you have been to an event, I don't think you can understand what it is all about. Come out and see it live – it is exciting and it is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially when the weather is a bit warmer and you can really sit and enjoy it."

In a bid to glam the sport up, the Tigers will have the only female centre green host & meeting presenter in teenager Kate Graham while 23-year-old Heather McNeilly will become the only female speedway starting marshal.

They will try to inject a bit of entertainment into proceedings in order that there is always something going on, and it is hoped that these changes will be to the benefit of the sport – and in encouraging people to come out and lend their support.

They have also brought a couple of young Australians, Harley Horwood and Joey Ringwood, into the squad and they will compete this season for the Tigers.

But it is the roar of the crowd that they hope will drive them on this season.

The first race is this Sunday when Glasgow Tigers go up against Edinburgh with tapes up at 3pm.