WOFFINDEN: CHAMPION TIGERS CAN GO BACK-TO-BACK

Great Britain racer Tai Woffinden insisted “I can’t see why we can’t go back-to-back” as Rowe Motor Oil Premiership side Sheffield bids to retain its championship crown in 2024.

Woffinden is due to lead the Tigers into Premiership Knockout Cup action away to Manchester club Belle Vue today and starts a season in the UK for the first time since 2014.

Since then, he has enjoyed end-of-season runs with Wolverhampton in 2016 and Sheffield in 2023, playing a part in both lifting the Premiership title, although he missed last year’s play-offs for the Yorkshire club due to injury.

Woffy teams up with Aussie brothers Chris and Jack Holder at Owlerton, and they are joined by Josh Pickering, Kyle Howarth, Jason Edwards and Dan Gilkes in a stellar side.

There’s no doubt the Tigers will be among the Premiership’s title favourites and Woffy is backing them to be firmly in the race. “I can’t see why we can’t go back-to-back,” he said. “I think that’s just an inner belief that every rider has. We believe we can do it, but we have to go against all the other teams.”

Woffinden believes Tigers’ middle order can deliver plenty of scoring support for their stellar top trio.

“The boys have plenty of talent,” he said. “We will try to extract as much of that out of them as we can. Picko is a goer. He’s a real goer, and Kyle too. You know you are going to get 110 percent when they are on the track. From a team manager’s point of view, that’s all you can ask for.”

Woffinden is delighted to be back in the UK for his first full season for a decade. “It has been a long time since I have done a full season,” he said. “I want to spend a little bit more time at home and see (wife) Faye and the kids a little bit more. Riding in Britain allows me to do that.

“The travel to Sweden from the UK since Covid has also been really tough. There are more 6am flights with connections and it makes for a long day of trying to get back to the UK. 

“I am also trying to re-learn that craft of really getting the little tracks nailed. Sheffield is a great track and I used to hang about there. I lived in Sheffield for a bit, and I have a lot of friends there. I am just looking forward to having some good Thursday nights. Hopefully we still get good crowds like we did last year. When I came over, they got their biggest gate numbers, which is really important for the club to keep that momentum going and keep moving forward.”

Woffinden gets his World Championship season underway with the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia in Donji Kraljevec on April 27.