Captain Cook looking forward to leading GB!

The Cumbrian will lead out the red, white and blue against Denmark in the first event of the Global Challenge Series, which will see Great Britain compete against a variety of teams over the coming years. The event will take place at King’s Lynn’s Adrian Flux Arena on Wednesday night (October 23) and Cook is adamant this is progress for the national side. He said: “I don’t think it’s a secret that most of the GB boys want regular test matches brought back to the calendar. It was always a massive thing in the past. I remember the Australia Ashes matches and they were awesome in the 90s. We also raced against Sweden and Denmark and it was always very competitive.

"It can only be a good thing for the national side. You have to be tested against the best as much as possible. I also believe it would be vital to have these tests abroad as well. The only time we compete as a team abroad is straight into a vital Speedway of Nations qualifier or final. All of us need more experience racing on the continent. We need to get better on all tracks to win future gold medals, that’s quite clear and I’m always up for pulling on a GB race jacket.”

It will be a tough test for new GB bosses Olly Allen and Simon Stead against a promising Danish side rapidly rising again as a major force in World Speedway. The Danes are led by legendary manager Hans Nielsen and GB go into the clash with an inexperienced side minus three-times World Champion Tai Woffinden and former British Champion Robert Lambert. Cook added: “I think it’s awesome to give the guys slightly under the radar a chance to show what they are made of. The likes of Charles Wright, Dan Bewley, Lewis Kerr and Adam Ellis plus it’s good to put in a couple of the Under-21 guys in at reserve. It will be hard against the Danes, they are getting very strong again. But this is an opportunity for all of us to stake a claim for the team for 2020.”