James Grieves, Glasgow Tigers.

We don't race with any brakes. It's a real buzz, but it is hard. A lot of road-racers have tried their hand at speedway, to try to get that skid that we go into. But it takes a lot of bottle to go into a corner at 70 miles an hour and to turn the bike the opposite way into a skid, when you've got three other guys round about you, all doing the same thing. It is quite a thrill and it's one thing I'll miss when I do retire – the adrenalin of the race.

Ashfield in Possilpark, where we race, isn't huge, it's a middle-of-the-range track. But the police brought their radar gun to one meeting, and the top speed reached was 69 or 70 miles an hour, going down the back straight.

The engines are 500cc single cylinders which run on methanol. There is no suspension at the rear – it only has a shock absorber on the front forks.

I'm from Paisley. My dad was a real hardcore Tigers supporter – he used to follow them home and away. When I got to a certain age, he got two of the Tigers riders, Colin Caffrey and Kenny McKinna, to build me a wee speedway bike with a Honda engine. I used to practise where the Braehead shopping centre is now – when I was younger it was a massive red blaes car park. It's a shame now when I see it. I've got all those memories.

Jimmy Beaton owned the Tigers when they were at Shawfield [in Rutherglen, south of Glasgow] and I asked him if I could get a shot. He said I could if I helped clear the track after the greyhounds. That was how it started. I progressed and Glasgow snapped me up. I had only been 16 for five days when I made my debut in October 1990, against Edinburgh.

I was part of the Tigers team that won the league in 1993 – when we also won the KO Cup and Scottish Cup – and again in 1994. The Tigers closed down in 1996 and I moved to Wolverhampton. I later raced for Berwick, then Edinburgh Monarchs and the Tigers again in 2000. After five years I raced for Newcastle and Redcar before returning to Glasgow. I've been around but not as much as some riders, who change clubs every year.

I had a 10-year testimonial at the Tigers in 2000 and a 20-year one on 2010. I suppose it's quite an achievement. I raced for the Tigers again in 2011, and we won another league title, as well as the Scottish Cup.

My biggest claim to fame is probably that I'm the second-highest scorer in the Tigers' history. I've so far had 12 seasons with the club. I'm in the Tigers' Hall of Fame, and I've also won more team honours for them than any other rider in the club's history.

I've told the Tigers this could be my last year, depending on how it goes with my form and injuries. I've broken all the toes on my left foot, broken my right scaphoid [a wrist bone] and broken my left hand – not bad for 23 years racing– but I'm injury-free at the moment and still fit. There's no reason why I can't go on for another season.

The Glasgow Tigers, who were last week relaunched under new owners, take on Edinburgh Monarchs tomorrow at Ashfield at 3pm. Visit glasgowtigers.co.