ROBINS v GB LIONS: Harris wants more GB track time (From This Is Wiltshire)

FORMER Grand Prix star Chris Harris has insisted Great Britain need to invest more time into its national team in order to keep up with the likes of Poland, Sweden and Denmark.

The new Birmingham number one leads a GB Lions side against Swindon Robins at Blunsdon this evening in what is an extremely rare outing for Neil Middleditch’s side away from the pressures of the Speedway World Cup.

In contrast Denmark spend a number of days practising as a squad at King’s Lynn earlier this month, and Harris is convinced those in charge of British speedway need to do something similar in order to keep up.

“It should be good because it gives us a chance to get the squad together and see how things are going, so it’s an important meeting for us,” he said.

“We keep saying every year that we need more meetings but nobody ever listens, and you look at the Danes who had the track at King’s Lynn for two or three days and they got some practice in together which we don’t do.

“That’s the way it’s been for years unfortunately, but the powers that be won’t change it.

“Obviously Tai Woffinden is in New Zealand for the GP but the side we have is still strong, and it gives some riders who might not normally get the chance to ride in the World Cup an opportunity to shine and maybe impress a few people and put their name out there.

Harris will lead a largely British Birmingham side in the Elite League in 2013 which also includes Danny King, Ben Barker and Josh Auty, and ‘Bomber’ would love to see speedway in this country follow the example of the Swedish and Polish leagues who demand home riders in every team.

“To have the four of us at Birmingham being English is great, but it’s just a shame we can’t follow how the Swedes and the Poles do it and have so many riders in a team from our country, but that’s the way it is and the way it’s always going to be,” he said.

“It’s hard because we don’t have the same numbers of juniors coming through like the Poles and the Swedes, but it would be nice to think something could be done to help although I don’t think it will be.

“The promoters and the bosses don’t want it, and it’s easier to bring a foreign rider in to fill a gap than to persevere with a British one.”