Skidmore, aged 19, was the first rider to be confirmed on the Tigers teamsheet for the 2010 campaign before he jetted back home to Australia for the winter.

It was a reward for an encouraging debut campaign when he was thrown in at the deep end as a replacement for the injured Ritchie Hawkins.

And he says the influence of Ashworth, who will be riding for Belle Vue on a part-time basis in the Elite League, was a major factor in his progress during an encouraging campaign.

He said: "Ricky was superb with me and was always there to help me and I was delighted when he won the Premier League Riders' Championship.

"He's got bags of experience, so has Richard Hall, and it can only be a good thing for me to listen to these guys and get their opinion on my own racing and their opinion on track conditions and set-ups.

"Racing alongside the PLRC winner can only help me develop as a rider and I'm really looking forward to a good, positive season. I like to ride the bike hard and you can do that at Sheffield which is my favourite track."

Skidmore and his colleagues will make their 2010 bow when Sheffield host their practice session on Thursday, March 11.

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