WORCESTER-based speedway ace Brent Werner is gearing up for a crack at the World Championships.
The American travels to Ljublijana in Slovenia on Saturday for the first qualifying round in a series which will decide qualification for next year's Grand Prix series.
The 28-year-old is confident he can make it through to the next stage.
He said: "Obviously it is going to be tough but the guys that will be there are on the same level as I am.
"I think I stand a very good chance of going through to the next round if luck goes my way and the bike goes well."
The top eight riders will go through to a semi-final in either the Czech Republic or Denmark next month. The leading riders go through to the final in Poland in August, from where the top six will win through to next year's Grand Prix series.
Werner is currently riding for London-based Premier League outfit Rye House after a spell with Eastbourne last year, although he is still officially on the books of Workington.
He said: "The deal is that my parent club is still Workington but to cut down on the travelling they have loaned me out."
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