Team GB take the inside track

Team GB Captain Scott Nicholls and FIM British Grand Prix winner Chris Harris will look to employ home track advantage as they spearhead Britain's campaign to lift speedway's World Cup later this month.

Team GB get their assault on the title underway on Monday July 16 at Coventry's Brandon Stadium, when they take on USA, Russia and Sweden. Both Nicholls and Harris ride for Coventry Bees in the Sky Sports Elite League.

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The winning team on the night will progress directly to the World Cup Final in Leszno, Poland on Saturday, July 21. The second and third placed teams go forward to a four-team race off also in Leszno against the second and third placed teams from the competitions opening event in Denmark, which features Denmark, Australia, Poland and Finland.

Neil Middleditch, manager of Team GB is acutely aware of the importance of getting off to a solid start.

"We'll go into Monday's event with everyone in good form and full of confidence," he says, "Scotty and Chris know their way around every inch of Brandon, which will stand them in good stead. Sweden might be our biggest threat but we certainly wont take the US or Russia lightly, they both have some quality riders.

"Ideally we'd like to win it on Monday and get straight through to the Final, as the race-off is likely to be a hard, hard meeting. Assuming that Denmark as reigning champions win their home round, it would then mean that you would be battling it out with Australia and Poland and possibly the US just to make the final. That is a tough meeting; so while we wouldn't be afraid of it, I'd rather avoid it and save everything for the Final itself."

FIM Speedway World Cup schedule:

Event One - Saturday July 14, Vojens, Denmark

Finland, Poland, Australia, Denmark - (Winner through to WC Final, 2nd and 3rd move to race off)

Event Two - Monday July 16, Coventry, UK

GB, USA, Russia, Sweden - (Winner through to WC Final, 2nd and 3rd move to race off)

Race Off - Thursday July 19, Leszno, Poland

(Top 2 teams move through to WC Final)

FIM Speedway World Cup Final - Saturday, July 21, Leszno.