SCOTT Nicholls insists he would love to ride in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in July - and his journey starts in Sheffield!

SCOTT Nicholls insists he would love to ride in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in July - and his journey starts in Sheffield!

Nicholls, who dipped out of the Grand Prix series after a miserable 2009 campaign, is back on top form after a string of brilliant outings for Elite League club Ipswich.

And Owlerton fans will get a rare chance to see one of the nation’s top stars do battle on a track he likes when he does battle with the likes of Grand Prix star Tai Woffinden and Sheffield duo Ricky Ashworth and Richard Hall.

It promises to be a spectacular night of racing with eight places up for grabs at the British Final at Wolves on June 14 - and the top rider from that meeting who isn’t in the current GP series will get the nod for Cardiff as wildcard.

Said Nicholls: “I’m looking forward to riding at Sheffield again, it’s a good track and a good venue. I haven’t had chance to race there much during my career because they’re in the Premier League but it’s a nice stadium and a very professional organisation there.

“I’m confident I can go there and give it a good go. I feel confident of qualifying from the top eight and then we’ll see what happens in the British Final.

“This year I want my British title back and I want to ride at Cardiff to test how far I’ve come after a disappointing 2009. It was a poor year for me but this year I have a different attitude and I’m smiling again and enjoying my racing.”

Nicholls was widely regarded as Great Britain’s best bet for a future World Champion in his younger days and his spectacular all-action style will make him well worth watching around Owlerton.

But he admits he isn’t sure whether he will bid to become a fully-fledged member of he SGP series again.

“I really can’t say at this stage, I might just be happy riding domestically and enjoying my league racing, or as the year goes on I might realise how much I miss the Grand Prix,” he said.

“I’m just taking some time out and enjoying my racing with Ipswich and hopefully I can go to Sheffield and get through and then have a good British Final. I might not be in the Grand Prix but I’ve still got plenty of targets to go for.”

BRITISH SEMI-FINAL DRAW:

SHEFFIELD (Thursday, May 6):

Danny King (Ipswich), Scott Nicholls (Ipswich), James Wright (Belle Vue), Jason Bunyan (Stoke), Robert Mear (Unattached), Andrew Tully (Edinburgh), Jordan Frampton (Rye House), Andre Compton (Workington), William Lawson (Belle Vue), Ben Barker (Coventry), Tai Woffinden (Wolverhampton), Stuart Robson (Lakeside), Oliver Allen (Ipswich), Richard Hall (Sheffield), Ricky Ashworth (Sheffield), David Howe (Scunthorpe).

KING’S LYNN (Wednesday, May 12):

Lee Richardson (Unattached), Chris Harris (Coventry), Simon Stead (Swindon), Lewis Bridger (Peterborough), James Grieves (Glasgow), Paul Clews (Berwick), Leigh Lanham (Newport and Belle Vue), Adam Roynon (Workington), Chris Schramm (Workington), Joe Haines (King’s Lynn and Wolverhampton), Ben Wilson (Redcar), Paul Hurry (Lakeside), Chris Neath (Rye House), Jason King (Newcastle), Carl Wilkinson (Scunthorpe), Eddie Kennett (Coventry).