KING’S Lynn's Dale Allitt says the club will go into the new season with a renewed spirit of optimism after their winter rebuild.
The Stars are just over a month away from launching their Sports Insure Premiership campaign, with a heavily revised team looking to mount a serious play-off challenge.
Recent years since the pandemic have proved challenging but the Stars completed their side shortly after British Speedway’s AGM last November, with several new faces included.
The first test comes when they visit Leicester on March 21 before the focus firmly switches to the Adrian Flux Arena with successive home matches against the Lions, Birmingham and Belle Vue starting on March 28 – which should give an early indication of their prospects.
Allitt said: “It’s no secret that things have been tough, last summer especially so, and we are all pleased that the club is in a position to go again.
“A lot of that is down to Buster’s (Keith Chapman) determination, and I know how enthusiastic he is for us to have a good season.
“Bringing back Rob (Lyon) as team manager is a move that I know the fans will be happy with, and I hope they’re also happy with the ambition we’ve shown in the team building. We had to go for a new team and make a new start.
“We’re all very excited to be working with Tobiasz Musielak who is a class act, and also has plenty of experience now in the UK.
“When we knew he was going to be available, he was a rider we were desperate to bring in and everyone worked together to get the deal in place.
“I think we have a team that’s really going to entertain when you throw in the likes of (Vadim) Tarasenko and (Benjamin) Basso who were real crowd-pleasers at Peterborough.
“They were always going to be wanted riders when it became clear Peterborough wouldn’t be able to continue, and it’s pleasing that they saw their futures with us at King’s Lynn.
“I think Niels (Iversen) could be a key rider as well. He’s got all the experience in the world, he’s done a lot for the club over the years and he was in vintage form at the end of last season.
“In my opinion we have a really good mix of youth and experience, and a team who can score all the way down, including Anders Rowe as the Rising Star.”
Despite the loss of Peterborough and Wolverhampton, the Premiership again has seven clubs this season with Birmingham and Oxford stepping up.
And the recent trend of World class riders returning to the UK is continuing, with the newcomers attracting former Grand Prix racers Piotr Pawlicki and Maciej Janowski, whilst ex-World Champions Tai Woffinden and Chris Holder are back full-time with Sheffield.
Allitt added: “We know the league is really tough, and it feels like it’s getting stronger every year.
“There will be a lot of good teams coming here during the season, but we feel we’re very capable of having a big say in things.”
