JESPER B Jensen expects to be the joker in the Ipswich Evening Star Witches' pack when the speedway season starts later this week.The Danish Grand Prix rider did his first laps around Foxhall Stadium today after joining the Witches on loan from Wolverhampton during the winter.

JESPER B Jensen expects to be the joker in the Ipswich Evening Star Witches' pack when the speedway season starts later this week.

The Danish Grand Prix rider did his first laps around Foxhall Stadium today after joining the Witches on loan from Wolverhampton during the winter.

He took a break from preparing for the off in the club's official practice day to say: “I am very positive about the new season. I know that I can improve my average as it starts from a false figure after two bad years with Wolves.

“I had personal problems, but have now sorted them out and my form last year in Poland and Sweden was a lot better than it was in the Elite League in 2001 and 2002. I can be the joker in the pack.”

And Jensen, whose middle name is Bruun and is one he purchased through the Danish system of family titles, feels that Chris Louis is also beginning the year with a lower than deserved average.

“Chris is a far better rider than the 6.18 average he currently has,” added Jensen, who finished third in the Danish Championship in 2003.

“The key to success in team speedway is for one, perhaps two, riders to up their scores from the initial team-building mark. At Ipswich we have the ability to do that.”

Jensen, who spent yesterday in Wolverhampton seeing about sponsorship deals, is confident his starts will improve after intensive training in Italy this winter with the Danish squad.

“I can now look forward to seeing the other guys at the tapes,” said Jensen. “Starting was the one aspect of my riding that was letting me down, and with an involvement in the GP series I knew that I had to improve.

“Ipswich will hopefully benefit from this and I have very high hopes of a good season.”