Batchelor has Grand designs (From Swindon Advertiser)

SWINDON ROBINS: Batchelor has Grand designs

6:00am Saturday 17th December 2011 in Speedway By Andy Warren

SWINDON Robins number one Troy Batchelor wants to convince Speedway Grand Prix organisers that he deserves a wildcard for the opening round in New Zealand, but is still unsure if he is ready to take on the series full-time.

The event at Western Springs on March 31 is the closest to a home GP that Batchelor will get next season, and he looks to be fighting it out with pal Darcy Ward for the 16th spot for the curtain raiser.

The Australian is keen to test himself against the best riders in the world, but does not want to throw himself into the gruelling 12-round series too early and become the latest in a long line of riders to have one crack at speedway’s pinnacle and never be seen again.

“The GPs are something which is always in the back of my mind, but it can be a very unforgiving place and you only seem to get one shot at it,” said Batchelor.

“It is great when everything is going well, but you have to be able to pick yourself up from some tough nights and deal with some tracks you have not ridden on before, some of which are very slick.

“Look at Tai Woffinden, he had been performing well for his clubs and then got a wild card for the season and he embarrassed himself a little bit. I don’t want that to happen to me.

“But I will keep looking at it and see how it goes. I would love a wildcard for the New Zealand GP and then I can see how I get on and how I feel, and then go from there.”

Ward and veteran Pole Piotr Protasiewicz both turned down full-time roles in the GP series to ensure they could compete in the top division in Poland, where clubs are now limited to only one GP rider.

Batchelor is preparing to enter his sixth season of Ekstraliga racing with Leszno, alongside world number three Jarek Hampel, and is happy to be focusing on Poland as well as Swindon.

“Poland is where it’s at in speedway at the moment and it is the best league in the world. All of the top riders want a spot there and I can understand why Darcy and Pepe (Protasiewicz) turned the GPs down, I think I would have done the same.

“I am happy being the number one at Swindon and want to do well here and make small steps.

“But if I can improve by perhaps 20 per cent I will be closer to the level of the GPs.”

Fellow new Robins signing Hans Andersen has dropped into the Polish first division with Grudziadz after his acceptance of a permanent GP wildcard meant he could not return to Zielona Gora, who have already signed world number two Andreas Jonsson.