Ipswich Witches new Aussie star Jordan Stewart says he can't wait to get racing on Foxhall's 'trick track', writes Henry Chard.
The 22-year-old was set to ride for Swindon Robins this summer, but when the Wiltshire club decided they wouldn't come to the tapes for 2021, the Witches leapt in.
"Swindon pulled the pin and that was pretty unexpected,” said Stewart. "It was a tough pill to take."
“Then, Chris Louis contacted me and asked if I was interested to go there. I’ve been to Ipswich once or twice in the Championship. It’s a cool track and stadium and I’m very excited to be there.”
Stewart is looking forward to getting to grips with the Foxhall track and believes there is no better man to learn from than his compatriot, Jason Crump.
IPSWICH WITCHES fixture list 2021
“It is a very tricky track, it’s fairly tight and grippy and hard to ride which in my eyes is a good home track advantage," he said.
"I’m very interested in going there to ride and it can only make me a better rider, learning how to ride that track and with the likes of Crumpy as guidance, you can’t get a better guidance than a three-time world champion can you?”
With no league racing in Britain in 2020, the Mildura-born rider has been keeping busy working for his father’s business and has had plenty of track time Down Under in recent months.
“My father owns his own engineering business, it’s a family business so I’m lucky enough to work for him when I come home. I’m very lucky with that side of things, I’ve had a steady job and steady income all year.
“The last couple of months, I've done eight or nine meetings, there’s been plenty of practices and that type of thing. It’s probably the best place to be at the moment in Australia, plenty of practice, plenty of meetings and there is plenty more to come."
Stewart has high ambitions in the sport and says he will do whatever it takes to get to Britain to ride this season despite the ongoing coronavirus restrictions making international travel difficult.
“I want to be world champion and I want to be a top speedway rider so I will do whatever it takes to get to Britain. Who knows what is going to happen? They’ve already delayed the season until the start of May and with restrictions it is going to be hard. I will have to quarantine when I get there and quarantine when I get back and that alone is expensive.
“You’ve got to push all that aside and keep looking at your goal and focus on what is at the end of the tunnel. If you want to be a speedway rider you have got to do what you’ve got to do and get over there and ride."
Stewart has been spending plenty of time with Crump in his homeland and can’t wait to continue his progression in the sport this year.
“I’m very close with Jason and have been hanging out with him whilst he’s been in Mildura and we have been talking as he knows what is going on at Ipswich.
"I’ve been talking to him; he’s been talking to Chris and it’s been pretty cool to have Jason helping me out and pointing me in the right direction. I know Danny (King) fairly well and Heepsy (Cameron Heeps) and from what Jason is saying it is going to be some team."
MORE SPEEDWAY PODCASTS, inc Nicholls, Crump, Klindt, Loram, Louis, King, Hawkins
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