Wolves speedway ace Nick Morris happy with hectic schedule

The Wolves Speedway ace is eager to accelerate into what he hopes will be his first full season since 2018 after several years hindered by injury and the pandemic.

After missing the opening months of the 2019 campaign – his first with Wolves – due to a broken wrist, Morris then watched on with everyone else as 2020 was wiped out entirely before last year’s truncated season finally gave him the chance to show the Monmore Green crowd what he can do.

For the first normal season in three years, the 27-year-old Australian is determined to keep busy. In addition to racing for Wolves in the Premiership, Morris will also turn out for Leicester in the Championship, along with Daugavpils in the Polish League and Region Varde in Denmark. Relentless though his schedule is likely to be, he couldn’t be happier.

“I ride my best when I am busy and I am going to try to stay as busy as I can this year,” he said. “It’s a lot of travelling but that is just the way I like it. Now things are finally back to normal, I am just looking forward to it. Last year I didn’t race abroad at all because of the restrictions. Now I’m back racing in Europe and everything is set for it to be a great season.”

Morris claims to be fully refreshed after spending the winter back home Down Under. The process of returning to Australia at the end of last season was far from straightforward, requiring a two-week hotel quarantine upon arrival in Sydney and a further fortnight at home after arriving in his native Queensland. But the inconvenience was worth it and having had a few months where he could completely switch off and forget about speedway, he has returned to Wolves hungrier than ever for success.

“I got the love back and I’m as hungry as ever to get back into it and win some races,” he said. “It can be a tiring season when you are so flat out. It is a job in the end and it is good to go home and regroup and come back.

“You miss it and get that feeling at the start of the season to get back into racing. Everything is normal, I feel good and there is no reason it can’t be a big season for me.”

Wolves will be looking for Morris, one of five riders returning from last season’s team to play a big part as they look to rebound from the disappointment of October’s play-off defeat to Peterborough.

He said: “I think things are shaping up really well. Chris (Van Straaten) and Pete (Adams) always put a strong team together to fight for the title and nothing is different this year. All the boys are great riders and we all get on well too. There is a good vibe in the team and we will work together to get the results.

“It has been a tough few years for everyone, especially Chris and the other promoters. Last year we started with restricted crowds but the bills remained the same.

“Having the fans there from the start this time is huge. It adds to the excitement, the atmosphere.

“When there are not many people there, it can sometimes feel kind of flat. You think, ‘is this a proper meeting?’.

“Toward the end of last year, when we had the play-offs and the crowds in, you get amped up for the racing. It does matter to us. It changes the atmosphere at the track and in the team. It is going to be good this year, back into it right from the start.”