ALUN Rossiter praised Great Britain’s team riding performance in the first leg of the Speedway of Nations final in Wroclaw, Poland, tonight after his side topped the chart with 25 points.

Spearheaded by two-times world champion Tai Woffinden, who returned with a faultless 18-point maximum on his home Polish league track, Great Britain are half-way to securing their first world championship honour in almost three decades.

But Rossiter, also manager of the Swindon Robins, insisted the job is only half done – adding no one in the GB camp is getting carried away just yet.

Rossiter told the Advertiser: “We’re in a great position but our feet are on the ground, anything can happen tomorrow.

“We were a bit unfortunate in the last race against Germany, Robert (Lambert) got stuck and I think afterwards he realised he should’ve gone on the outside a little earlier.

“But I’m not complaining, we’ve been taking points off everybody and we’ve got to keep that going.

“It’s a good start, but it’s only half time.”

Woffinden and Lambert paired up for a confidence boosting 4-2 over Sweden in the first race, but what was to follow wasn’t short of unthinkable prior to Friday night’s first leg.

A 3-3 against Denmark was followed by a 4-2 over Russia – the latter race producing some of the best team riding world speedway has seen in decades as Woffinden shepherded Lambert around the Olympic Stadium for three and three-quarter laps before Artem Laguta passed the young Brit on the run to the line.

Poland, defending World Cup champions, were then silenced in heat 12 as Woffinden and Lambert raced to a 5-1 over Maciej Janowski and Patryk Dudek – a result which ultimately cost Dudek his spot in the rest of the meeting.

Another maximum race win followed against Australia before Martin Smolinski split the GB pair in heat 20, ensuring Rossiter’s men end the first part of the Speedway of Nations final two points clear of Russia – and a massive 10 points clear of Poland.

Rossiter added: “It’s a great day for Great Britain.

“When we beat Poland it went very quiet here. But, as I keep saying, it’s only half time.

“Tai (Woffinden) was fantastic, but we’re all working as a team.

“It’s a team event and it’s about the three riders, everybody has put a great amount of effort in.”