HANS Andersen has fired a warning to speedway’s elite that he is ready to beat the best in the world once again.

The Swindon skipper accepted a wild card into the Grand Prix series - which begins in New Zealand in the early hours of Saturday morning - and says he can mix it with the likes of reigning champion Greg Hancock, Tomasz Gollob and Jaroslaw Hampel following an injury-plagued couple of years.

The action begins at 4am GMT at the Western Springs Stadium and the Robins man is full of belief that he can make an impression.

“I know I can beat them,” said Andersen.

“I’ve done it in the past and even last year when I probably had the worst season of my career, I was still beating them in places like Sweden.

“I’m not in the GPs just to make up the numbers and it’s important to get off to a good start.

“My big aim this season is to get back to where I was before I started to get problems with injuries, back then I was scoring big points in all the leagues and was in the top five in the world.

“I think it can be achieved without a doubt, there’s no point going out on the track if you don’t believe in yourself.

“I feel a lot hungrier now than I have done in the last couple of years and I’m a lot fitter than I was before.”

The Dane believes the key to success in the world championship is churning out strong performances meeting after meeting, which he freely admits he needs to work on.

“It’s going to be mighty tough, but it’s all down to being consistent and that’s something I’ve lacked in the past,” he continued.

“I’ve had good meetings and then a bad one and that’s why I’ve never made it to the rostrum at the end of the season.

“My aim riding for Swindon in the GPs is to be consistent and score well.”

Andersen last rode on the Grand Prix circuit in 2010 but that campaign was hampered by a hand injury he sustained in the Scandinavian SGP at Malilla, and the ex-Peterborough charger finished 12th overall.

He was therefore ineligible to compete in the 2011 world championship but following the withdrawal of Darcy Ward from the 2012 series, was offered the chance to return, which he took with both hands.

The 31-year-old’s best Grand Prix performances were in 2007 and 2008, when the Odense-born man finished fifth in successive years.

  • JASON Doyle is on his way back to the UK to launch his Swindon career.

Doyle, one of many winter signings in a revamped Robins side, has seen his return from Australia delayed by an issue over his visa.

Now he has received the necessary paperwork and is booked on a flight to arrive by the weekend, and is in contention for the Elite League opener against Birmingham on Thursday, April 5.

FOLLOW Swindon Advertiser speedway writer Ned Payne on Twitter at @nedpayne1.