Great Britain shooting star Dan Thompson is the first Premiership rider to be unveiled for 2026 after sealing a return to local club Leicester.
Thompson played a key role in Ipswich’s charge to the 2025 Premiership title, but returns to the Lions, who confirmed the release of Speedway GP star Max Fricke on Wednesday.
The 2025 SGP2 rider said: “I’m really pleased to be returning to Leicester. It’s exciting to once again call it my home track.
“I’ve stayed in touch with (team manager) Stewart (Dickson) since my previous spell at the club, and I’m looking forward to working under his management again. When the opportunity to return came up, it was one I was keen to take.
“I’m lucky to have the backing of several local sponsors in the Leicester area who I know will be delighted to see me back.
“I’d also like to thank everyone at Ipswich – the management, staff and fans - for some very special seasons. Winning the Premiership is a memory I’ll always treasure, and I hope there’s positive news soon regarding their future involvement in the league. Now, I’m excited to get started back at Leicester and see what we can achieve together.”
Dickson is delighted with the progress Thompson has made over the past two seasons at Ipswich.
He said: “A couple of years ago I let Dan go to Ipswich, and there was a lot of talk about it at the time, but for me it was the right move for the rider.
“He got to work with the likes of Emil Sayfutdinov and Jason Doyle, he learnt things that I actually couldn’t give him, and I believe he comes back to us a far better rider.
“I feel his discounted average of 5.87 represents very good value for us, especially when you look into his statistics and see that his away average last season was over a point higher than it was at Ipswich. We know how good he is around Leicester. He has shown it to our cost several times, and if that was sending a message to me at the time, then I have no problem with that!
“I feel Dan has developed a tougher streak since he’s been away, he’s made big progress, and I believe there’s more improvement in him – and I don’t mind saying that two years ago I wasn’t sure about that.
“I believe he will increase his average further by riding at Leicester, which is one of his favourite tracks, and we’re happy to be able to bring him back.”