IPSWICH STAR DOYLE'S BRITISH BOOST

28/11/2022

IPSWICH STAR DOYLE'S BRITISH BOOSTIPSWICH STAR DOYLE'S BRITISH BOOST

Aussie ace Jason Doyle believes racing in Britain makes him a better rider after extending his stay with Ipswich into 2023.

The Newcastle-born racer joined the Witches as No.1 for this year, having spent two seasons racing outside of the UK, with the 2020 UK calendar wiped out due to the pandemic and Doyle opting to compete in Sweden alongside his Polish commitments when Swindon confirmed they would not return to action in 2021.

Having starred for Ipswich as the club won the SGB Premiership Pairs this year, Doyle was determined to stay at Foxhall.

He could be one of a number of riders returning to British speedway this year after Polish authorities relaxed rules limiting PGE Ekstraliga riders to competing in just one other leagues – raising the limit to two. Doyle is also set to compete for Polish club Krosno and Swedish side Indianerna next year. And he believes regular action in Britain brings the best out of him.

The Norwich-based star told the Ipswich official website: “I only had one thought in mind and that was to be back at Ipswich.

“I didn’t want to take any offers from other clubs, so it was pretty easy for me to come back after the 2022 season. It was an eye-opener to come to a club that was run so professionally, and I really enjoyed my time working with Chris (Louis), Ritchie (Hawkins) and the Ipswich management.

“Returning to British speedway was what I had to do for my racing. I felt like I missed it with the two years that I was out of it after winning the league with Swindon in 2019.

“Having such a break from British speedway didn’t feel right. A lot of other riders and clubs don’t want us to be riding in England, but I always feel like if I do ride in England, I do become a better rider.

“I feel it was the right move for myself to move to Ipswich. Coming from Norwich, it is a very easy way to get to Ipswich and it made it so much easier for my wife, friends, and family to come and watch as well. It was a family affair and I really enjoyed it, and I hope I can carry on how last year went.”

Doyle admits his move to the Witches wasn’t greeted quite as he had hoped by everyone at Foxhall – despite very quickly winning any doubters around.

He revealed: “I had a funny encounter when I first signed at Ipswich. On press and practice day, one of the trackmen said to me ‘welcome to Ipswich, we didn’t really want you as a No.1, we wanted Chris Holder but hopefully you can do your job!’

“That sat in my mind a bit as well to have some big boots to fill. I needed to score a lot of points and it didn’t start too well in the first two matches for me, but we had to come to terms with new tyres and being back in British speedway which is a totally different way of racing.

“I really enjoyed it and pushed really hard all year to score as many points as possible and I think we did a fair good job for the club.”

For the first time since 2015, Doyle is set to compete in the Australian Championship in January 2023, in addition to the 2022 FIM Oceania Championship at Gillman on December 28.

As well as chasing national and continental titles, Doyle hopes the extra track time will set him up well for a strong European season.

He said: “I’m heading back to Australia to get ready for the Australian titles, plus the Oceania Championship and a couple of individual meetings in Australia, but I’m mainly back there to test engines. We are making a big change for next season in all my racing. The best time to do these tests is in Australia where we can get some quality bike time on different tracks.”

Doyle hopes a new approach will serve him well in Speedway GP next year as he bids to better this season’s 10th-place finish.

Looking ahead to next term, he insisted: “Staying safe and enjoying it is the aim. I put a lot of pressure on myself in the last few years and it hasn’t worked, so we go into it with a new way of looking and hopefully have faster engines. The main goal is to win the world title and finally get some silverware in the league for Ipswich.”