WORLD Champion Jason Crump will headline Peterborough's seasonal opener.Crump, who made his Panthers debut as a raw 16-year-old in 1992, has confirmed he will be fit enough to race at the East of England Showground on Monday, March 15 (7.

WORLD Champion Jason Crump will headline Peterborough's seasonal opener.

Crump, who made his Panthers debut as a raw 16-year-old in 1992, has confirmed he will be fit enough to race at the East of England Showground on Monday, March 15 (7.30 pm).

He will link up with title rival Nicki Pedersen in an all-star international select to kick-start the club's 40th Anniversary season.

Showground legend Crump, 34, has finally been given the all clear to start racing again after spending the winter recovering from serious friction burns.

The arm injury almost cost him his third world title but he raced through the pain barrier to clinch the title in the final round of last year's Grand Prix series.

He has not raced competitively since being crowned World Champion and will be making his first competitive appearance of 2010 at his old home track.

Crump was actually the first rider to commit himself to the spectacular opene! r but Peterborough kept his decision under wraps until he was given medical clearance.

The three-times world number one returned to his Northamptonshire home at the weekend after recuperating in his native Australia.

He revealed: “I said I'd definitely be at Peterborough for the first meeting if I could weeks and weeks ago.

“At the time I wasn't sure if I'd be fit enough to start the season with everyone else and we agreed to keep it quiet rather than be seen to pull out.

“I had some terrific times at Peterborough and won't ever forget that very first season when I was only 16 and we won practically everything.

“I saw a couple of specialists in Australia and over the last few week things have gone really well.

“I've actually been back on a bike and while I still find it difficult top hold a fork I can ride the bike okay.”

He will ride in the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund charity meeting at Rye House the previous afterno! on and then faces the new-look Readypower Panthers in the season's opener.

Crump is the fourth rider to be unveiled - joining three-times World Champion Nicki Pedersen, Danish teen star Lasse Bjerre and Czech Republic international Matej Kus in the opposing line-up.

Panthers' Director of Speedway Peter Oakes said: “We can now push ahead with finalising the line-up.

“We didn't want to do too much until we knew whether Jason would have recovered in time.”

“In Jason and Nicki we undoubtedly have the world's two best riders on show - it's a mouth-watering way to start our anniversary season.”