Tai Woffinden 'super-excited' for Sheffield Tigers return, and explains route back to Speedway Grand Prix

Tai Woffinden, Britain’s most successful rider ever, spoke to The Star before the club’s public practice session, and says he feels great after a long lay off from a broken elbow.

Meanwhile, Tigers boss Simon Stead, predicted the Scunthorpe-born star will be turning heads in the new season now he is returning to action, with Sheffield starting their season against Birmingham at Owlerton on Thursday (April 3)

Woffinden suffered a serious break in June 2024, forcing him out for nine months. But now he says his elbow feels ‘really good’, and he finally feels back to normal

The Sheffield speedway star said: “Obviously a long off-season for me, which was super nice. I was able to do a lot of stuff that I don't normally get to do. So, yes, pretty happy to be back racing again.

“I feel great. I'm excited for the season. I've done a lot of testing in Poland in the last three days and fly back out there tomorrow (Friday). I've got another four days on the bounce and then, yeah, come back for Thursday.”

He said it felt great to be back on his bike.

He said: “I rode in Aussie about probably a month ago, I reckon. It was a great feeling to just have that buzz again.

“Like I said, I've enjoyed doing stuff that I haven't been able to do and it's kind of given me a bit of a new lease of life, I guess you can say. I had a real long pause.”

He admitted he missed racing describing it as: “Watching all the boys race and being a bit bitter about that I can't.”

“I feel really good,” he said. “The start of this season, it's a whole new set up for me. Obviously not in the Grand Prix. a new team in Poland, a new team internally with the mechanics and whatnot.

“So, yeah, I'm super excited for this season.”

He confirmed it was looking to get back in the Grand Prix series, and has hopes of appearing this season, hoping he could get a wild card for the British GP in Manchester.

He said: “I'm doing the GP qualifiers, racing in the European Championships. So if we win that, then we're straight in. I'll potentially have a wildcard spot for Manchester GP, depending on how the British final goes.

“So that's another opportunity to prove myself and then get a wildcard. So there's plenty of ways in for me. I've just got to go out there and enjoy riding my bike and do a good job.”

Tigers boss Simon Stead thinks the winter off has done Woffinden good, and that he has given himself time to heal properly, which was an important thing for him to do.

Stead said: “I know last year he was chomping at the bit to try and get back. It just wasn't achievable. So he's done the right thing, given himself plenty of time to recover properly and heal properly.

“And I think now he's sort of chomping at the bit and really got that dog look in his eye because he's out to prove some people wrong who think that might be one injury too many.

“And I for one know that he's going to certainly turn heads again this year.”

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