MARK Loram today revealed his keenness to get back into the Grand Prix series.Loram, who rides for Ipswich Evening Star Witches at Swindon tonight, won the world title in 2000 before dropping out at the end of the 2004 series.

By Elvin King

MARK Loram today revealed his keenness to get back into the Grand Prix series.

Loram, who rides for Ipswich Evening Star Witches at Swindon tonight, won the world title in 2000 before dropping out at the end of the 2004 series.

Last year there was no guaranteed route back to the GP, but this time around the authorities have bowed to pressure and organised a qualifying series.

The Championship of Great Britain at Belle Vue on June 11 acts as a qualifier for riders wanting to progress along the trail that will lead to a GP place in 2007.

Loram, who was 35 in January, said: “I have not given up hope of a return to the world championship, and I want to be in tip-top form for the Belle Vue meeting.

“Beating world champion Tony Rickardsson twice at Foxhall Stadium last Thursday has given me a boost, and hopefully I can keep my form going.”

Other riders in form are Poles Piotr Protasiewicz and Robert Miskowiak, who both scored paid maximums against Oxford at home last week.

Protasiewicz has yet to lose a race at home this year, while Miskowiak raced to his first Witches full house.

Witches reserve Daniel King has pulled off a big coup by capturing top mechanic Steve Catling to help him in the pits.

Catling acted as spanner man for England's top rider Scott Nicholls from the time the former Copleston School pupil took up the sport until the end of last season.

Nicholls, who transferred from Ipswich to Coventry for £36,000 in the winter of 2005, is now based in the Midlands and using a new pit posse.

And King is the beneficiary, with Catling able to pass on the benefit of his intensive knowledge of the Foxhall Stadium track as well as experience of being Nicholls' right-hand man in dozens of Grand Prix meetings.

Ipswich ride at Swindon tonight in an Elite League meeting that is being televised live on Sky Sports.

Russian Renat Gafurov had early-season visa problems and makes his first appearance for the Robins tonight, with American Ronnie Correy having filled in right up to last night's meeting at Wolverhampton.

The Wiltshire side have a strong top three in Leigh Adams, Lee Richardson and Sebastian Ulamek, and Ipswich will need to score right down their order again if they are to avoid their first defeat of the season.

Tonight's line-ups

Swindon: L Adams, M Korneliussen, R Gafurov, S Ulamek, L Richardson, A Miedzinski, S Alden.

Ipswich: C Louis, K Jansson, P Protasiewicz, R Miskowiak, M Loram, J Jaros, D King.