IPSWICH Witches speedway rider Tobi Kroner has looked ahead to the 2009 season and said: “This is the one that really matters for me.”The 23-year-old German, who first joined the Suffolk club in 2006, is already prepared and ready to start riding.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Witches speedway rider Tobi Kroner has looked ahead to the 2009 season and said: “This is the one that really matters for me.”

The 23-year-old German, who first joined the Suffolk club in 2006, is already prepared and ready to start riding.

“My plan is to up my game more than I did last year,” said Kroner as he took shelter from the extreme cold in his homeland.

“I have served my apprenticeship and this is the year that must really count for me.

“I have set myself a target of scoring well home and away, and I have enough experience to do this now.

“Every year is important, but this will be an extra important season for me. I have made progress since I joined Ipswich, and now I want to accelerate this.

“Ipswich have signed me up again, which is what I desperately wanted - and now I have to do enough to repay them.”

Kroner will again be using Mark Loram's Stowmarket workshop and lodging with the 2000 world champion.

And he has pledged to avoid dropping down into a Witches reserve berth this year.

“I want to remain in the main part of the team for the whole while and fully play my part,” added Kroner, who shared one of the Witches reserve berths with Steve Johnston in 2008.

Ipswich's bottom end strength was one of the reasons they qualified for the end-of-season play-offs.

Kroner spent a couple of weeks soaking up the sun in the Caribbean with his girlfriend, but since November he has been involved in a strict fitness regime - running and doing exercises four or five days a week.

“My Polish and Swedish mechanic has been over with me and we have bikes sorted already,” added Kroner.

“I fact, I cannot wait to get started.

“I am fixed up with Gdansk in Poland and plan to ride five or six meetings in Sweden although I have not signed a contract with any team yet.

“This month I am going to spend a week practising in Italy and want to come over to England a week before the season starts to get in some practice somewhere.”

Kroner will be supported at Foxhall Stadium this year by Parkside Transport, Steve Smith Electrical and Orwell Motor Cycles, and he says that he is as well set up as he has ever been.

“Now it is up to me, and as I say I cannot wait,” added Kroner shivering in minus seven degree temperatures.

Kroner will be lining up with the Witches this year alongside Piotr Swiderski, Jarek Hampel, Dawid Stachyra, Leigh Lanham, Daniel King plus doubling up riders Carl Wilkinson and Kozza Smith.

The Witches have a strong-looking top end with Hampel and Swiderski plus King, and if Kroner can come up with the goods then the Suffolk-based side can make an impression again on the league table.

Fans appear to have bought into the team with season ticket sales continuing to go well.