JOSH PICKERING has revealed that he might still have to do a u-turn and race in two UK leagues.
The battling Australian had an outstanding 2023 season picking up his first Sports Insure Premiership title with Sheffield.
Picko, 26, then announced to Edinburgh fans that he wouldn’t be returning to the Cab Direct Championship for 2024 because he wanted to concentrate on his commitments in Poland.
But as he flies back to Australia over the next few days, he admits that his future is still up in the air.
He said: “I made the decision to leave Edinburgh and the Championship because it was very difficult to do two leagues in the UK.
“I couldn’t travel up north and then still do practice and race in Poland, it was too much.
“But at this moment I don’t have any job offers in place in Poland. I don’t want to leave myself short and come over for just one league next season in the UK.
“Obviously I’ve put all my eggs in the one basket in trying to make it in Poland for next year.
“But if I’m sitting around and still don’t have a club to go to then I’ll have to go back on my word and race in the Championship as I can’t come over here to race one league.
“However at the same time I don’t want to go back on my word just yet.
“I want to put all my effort in for Poland. The reason to leave the Championship was so I could do all the practice I could out there and get dialled in more often.
“The tracks are obviously different and it’s a completely different set-up. I need to do as many laps as I can.
“I ended the season at Start Gniezno not as good as I would have liked.
“I missed the first six meetings because I got injured at Berwick. That set me back.
“I did my first match at Tarnow and got 14, second match 12 and then 10 and 11. It sort of tailed off after that.
“In the Play-Offs I had an engine problem and had to go on my second bike which wasn’t set-up and they pulled me out of my remaining two rides. In the end my final two meetings I only got two points.
“The rider I am and what I am capable of didn’t show in my last two performances and I don’t want to be judged on that.”
Pickering’s finale in the UK was a huge contrast to that of in Poland. His battling paid 10 score was instrumental in the Tigers’ sensational comeback to beat Ipswich in the Premiership Grand Final at Owlerton.
He added: “My season ended in the UK beating the riders like Emil Sayfutdinov and Jason Doyle in a Play-Offs Grand Final and ended up winning the league title.
“That is proof of what I can do. If you’re a s*** rider you just can’t do that.”
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.