Sheffield speedway: Charles made the Wright choice

Wright made a dream debut by going through the card against Newcastle and is looking for more of the same when Tigers open their Championship defence against Peterborough at Owlerton.

And he’s delighted to be here – even though the move almost didn’t happen.

He said: “It wasn’t as easy as people might think because I genuinely, really did enjoy myself at Redcar last year.

“It was a good club to ride for, I got on with the people up there and I had a pretty solid season.

“It looked as though as I was going back there for another season but then Sheffield more-or-less said a team place was mine if I wanted it. I did have to give it some pretty serious thought though, I won’t lie.

“But from where I live, the travelling to Sheffield every week is a lot easier than it is for Redcar and that was probably the main reason behind my decision.

“Of course there were other factors too though.

“Obviously when you’re wanted by the current champions it is hard to say no.

“On top of that I already know riders like Kyle (Howarth) well and there’s a real good team spirit around the club.

“So hopefully we can make the most of that this season and it would be good if we could win it (the league) two years running.”

Tigers are still without Josh Bates tonight. The Barnsley racer is still on the sidelines with back injuries sustained when sledging pre-season but should know more about the timescale of his absence next week.

Panthers include British icon Scott Nicholls, the former Grand Prix man who has won a staggering seven British titles, and former Premier League Riders’ Champion Ulrich Ostergaard who is a renowned Owlerton track specialist.

They won at Ipswich last week and are strongly fancied to be in contention for honours following their late swoop for Nicholls.

SHEFFIELD: Kyle Howarth, Todd Kurtz, Charles Wright, Josh Bates R/R, Lasse Bjerre, Jack Smith, James Shanes.

PETERBOROUGH: Scott Nicholls, Emil Grondal, Nike Lunna, Michael Palm Toft, Ulrich Ostergaard, Tom Bacon, Simon Lambert.