ALLEN: LIONS HAVE NUMBERS TO GO FOR FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP GOLD

Joint Great Britain boss Oliver Allen insists the Lions have the strength in depth to ensure they won’t be making up the numbers in the FIM Speedway World Cup in July.

The Brits won their first world team title in 32 years at the 2021 FIM Speedway of Nations in Manchester, before coming within four laps of making it two in a row – losing out to Australia in the 2022 FIM SON Grand Final at Vojens.

Now they face a different test as the FIM SWC returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017 with a week of epic action at Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium from July 25-29.

With triple world champion Tai Woffinden, double Speedway GP winner Dan Bewley and former European champion Robert Lambert in the side, the Brits are a powerhouse team in the three-rider FIM SON format.

But five riders are required for an FIM SWC team, meaning Allen and fellow GB boss Simon Stead will have to find two more Lions to help their Speedway GP trio go for gold, as the likes of Cardiff wild card Adam Ellis and 2021 FIM SON winner Tom Brennan bid for places in the team.

Allen is confident there are enough Brits to step up to the plate and lift the FIM SWC’s Ove Fundin Trophy for the first time. He told GBSpeedwayTeam.com: “We’ve got three riders in the top eight in the world. Then we’ve got Adam Ellis who is of international standard.

“If we turn up on the day and our top three are fit and deliver their potential, and then say Adam and Tom do their bit, we are well in with a shout of another gold medal. The goals are still the same. We don’t turn up to make up the numbers. We go to the World Cup to try and win. I know Tai, Robert, Dan and the other boys will feel the same.

“The World Cup format does create a new challenge for us. It was fairly certain who our three were going to be last year for the Speedway of Nations. Provided there were no injuries, it was always likely to be Tai Woffinden, Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley.

“It was unlikely that anyone else was going to overtake those three. We would welcome it if they did, but it wasn’t likely. This year you are looking at a bigger team. The top three are likely to carry on in the team. But the next couple of spots are open to anyone. At this stage Simon and I don’t rule anyone out at all.”

While Ellis and Brennan’s recent efforts put them among the frontrunners for selection alongside the Speedway GP riders, Allen insists he and Stead are keeping an open mind in their quest to find two more Lions to help the team roar to victory.

He said: “I think it’s a really big year for Adam Ellis. He seems focused and dedicated to push on. He has got the raw talent; it’s just piecing it all together. He puts the effort in. He just needs the right formula and has so much potential. I really hope he lives up to that.

“Tom has made big strides over the past two years. He needs to continue that upward curve. If he can continue to improve at the rate he has, he can also be knocking on the door.

“Then you’ve got a group of more senior riders: Chris Harris, Steve and Richie Worrall, Charles Wright and Richard Lawson. They are all people who can throw their name in the hat. We don’t rule anyone out. I think Steve and Richard have signed for Polish clubs. That shows a desire. For them to perform consistently on the world stage, they do have to ride regularly abroad.

“It will purely be a case of picking the on-form riders at that stage of the season.”

Alongside the FIM SWC, GB’s riders will also take part in a number of FIM Europe competitions at senior and junior level. Allen admits these offer a great chance for riders to make a case for selection.

He said: “The European events for GB are so important and always have been. They are a great barometer for other riders outside of the top three to say, ‘I want to do those events and I’ll show you what I can do’.

“I think over the past two years those Euro events have been really good for Tom and they have elevated him to a new level. I want the Worralls, Wright and Lawson – if they are going well – to show me the hunger to be part of GB.

“I truly believe, and I won’t change my opinion on this, when you ask someone to ride for Great Britain in a key event, the first question they should not ask is ‘how much am I getting paid?’

“I never did that nor did Joe Screen, Gary Havelock, Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris. There’s an awful lot to be said about the riders’ attitude and keenness to represent Great Britain.”