Nick Morris will make a last-minute dash to Glasgow to race in the Scottish speedway derby – and could appear at the meeting as a World Cup winner.
The Tigers No 1 will fly from Copenhagen into Edinburgh and then travel to the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium on Sunday morning after representing Australia at Vojens on Saturday night.
Morris produced a sensational performance on Monday at King’s Lynn, scoring 12 points on his debut to help his country qualify for the final.
But the 21-year-old was desperate not to miss the most important Scottish derby in years, even though he’ll miss out on the Tigers’ visit to Armadale on Friday.
Morris said: “It’s going to be a tough meeting – Edinburgh have a good team – but it’s going to be a good derby again. Hopefully they can pick up something on Friday without me, and I’ll come back Sunday and we’ll fight all the way.
“I want to get as many meetings in as I can – I don’t want to be missing any. It was impossible for me to be doing the Friday and then Denmark Saturday, so I had to write that one off, but I’ll make it back for the Sunday and give it all I’ve got.
“I’ll do what I’ve been doing all year, and try to win races.”
Morris – who also rides for Swindon in the Elite League – will return to a Tigers side who are now without his fellow Aussie Kozza Smith, after he sustained season-ending injuries on Sunday.
Morris said: “We were just starting to get going, and the boys were going well too at Glasgow on Sunday. It just sucks that Kozza got hurt because he had just started picking his form up.”
The unbeaten Monarchs – reigning league champions – are likely to prove formidable opposition with Ashfield experts Craig Cook, Sam Masters and Kevin Wolbert in their midst. The meeting starts at 3pm.
Morris was the man of the moment as he outscored several world-class riders on Monday night to cement his and his team’s place in Saturday’s World Cup final.
He said of the occasion: “It was an awesome night and it’s so good to go straight into the final. All the boys did a great job and I’m happy that we don’t have to go through the run-off, because that’s going to be a tough one. We’re in the final and I can’t wait for that.
“[The world stage] is where I want to be and I’m definitely happy with that for my first one. I scored 12, so I can’t complain there, and we won too so I’m happy with that. Hopefully we can be involved with a few more of those meetings.
“The bike was working really good and I was just getting my wheels in line early. I found a good line and I had a lot of speed, so it made things a lot easier.”
Morris’s biggest triumph on the night was when he came from last to first to beat reigning World Champion Greg Hancock and British wonderkid Robert Lambert in the same race.
Said Morris: “It’s always an honour to beat someone like Greg. He’s been killing it for 20 years and he’s got a lot of experience, it’s just awesome to be racing someone like that.”
Morris flies out to Denmark tonight for the latest part of his World Cup adventure with the best wishes of all at Glasgow Tigers.
You can watch Nick in World Cup final action on a big screen at the Tigers Den at Ashfield on Saturday night in the company of fellow speedway fans. Tickets for the event cost £10 or £5 for children under 12, which includes a hot buffet with desserts and a soft drink. Doors open at 5pm with the buffet at 5.45pm. Glasgow riders Victor Palovaara and James Sarjeant will be special guests. To reserve tickets, message the Glasgow Tigers Supporters’ Group on Facebook or email gtsg@glasgowtigers.co