Luke Becker revved up and ready to get Wolves off to a flyer

The 24-year-old Californian is eager to build on a strong 2022 campaign which led to him being voted the club’s rider of the year by supporters.

Becker overcame an inconsistent start to flourish in his third season at Monmore and having been tipped to step up again by promoter Chris Van Straaten, he is keen to deliver.

Wolves host King's Lynn in the campaign opener and Becker said: “Last year didn’t really start on the right foot. I was struggling for the first month, month and a half, which is all part of racing."

“You can’t be performing at all times but after that I was able to pick up the pace and by the end of the season, I was in the best form I have ever been in.

“Of course, I want to build on that. Every year I want to keep climbing up the ladder. I am still pretty young, luckily, and I am hoping this can be a year I start strong and keep that consistency going.”

Becker is one of five Wolves riders to return from last season’s squad and one of the two new faces, Rory Schlein, is already no stranger having skippered the club before his 2021 retirement.

Familiarity in the line-up has created a family atmosphere which Becker credits with helping his development as a racer. This season, he expects, will be his toughest yet with a series of big-name riders having signed at rival clubs, with former world championship runner-up Krzysztof Kasprzak among the new recruits of Monday’s opponents.

“It is going to be stronger than the last couple of years and that is only going to be good for us riders and the sport,” said Becker.

“More competition means more pressure. You learn a lot more racing against these top guys and even if they are beating you, you still pick up things competing against them.

“All in all, it is going to be a good year for British Speedway and will be a stepping stone to get even more guys over here.”

Wolves have qualified comfortably for the play-offs in each of Becker’s three previous seasons but fallen at the semi-final hurdle and he is determined to at least go one better this time around.

“Everyone’s main goal, of course, is to win the league,” he said. “The last couple of years we have done exceptionally well through the season and been sat near the top.

“Then we get to the play-offs and throw it down the drain. The first goal is getting to the play-offs and then resetting, figuring it out from there.

“It’s about having consistent form and then maintaining it into the play-offs. That’s what we lacked the last couple of seasons.”