Tai Woffinden: Wolves hope to re-sign World speedway champion

Wolverhampton Wolves will hold talks with world speedway champion Tai Woffinden next week about a new deal with the Elite League side.

The 23-year-old, who became the first Briton to win a world crown in 13 years when he clinched the title in October, first featured for Wolves in 2009.

Keeping Woffinden is team owner Chris Van Straaten's immediate priority.

"He is a vital piece in the jigsaw - other pieces can fit once we know about Tai," Van Straaten said.

"I have an appointment with Tai early next week and obviously he is an important part of our plans."

The Scunthorpe-born rider grew up in Australia but returned to England in 2006, having just won the Western Australia under-16 title, to pursue a career in the sport.

He went on to collect the British under-18 then the under-21 crowns in successive years, before playing a part in Wolves' Elite League championship win in 2009.

Woffinden signed a new deal with Wolverhampton in 2012 after he earned the number-one slot at Monmore Green from Freddie Lindgren, winning Wolverhampton's rider of the year award and finishing as the side's top scorer.

In the season's final Grand Prix in Poland in October, he battled on with a broken collar bone to become Britain's eighth world speedway champion.