Travis McGowan spent a very fruitful winter Down Under, and is upbeat about the new season.

"I had a reasonably successful Aussie season, finishing fifth in the Australian Championships, which is pretty much what I aimed for," he said.

McGowan, who has been an ever-present with Wagstaff, starts his fifth year in England and will be riding Jawas this year.

How will McGowan get on with new signing Ryan Fisher after the pair clashed at high speed at Cowley last year?

He said: "Like most other things, that has been blown out of all proportion. We are good mates now and have no problems."

Jonas Davidsson is the baby of the side as he makes the big step from Premier League to the top flight after just one season in the UK, but that doesn't faze him.

He said: "I race in the Swedish Elite League alongside Greg Hancock, so I hope it won't be too much of a shock. I had a few problems with my contract at Reading, but Oxford have sorted them out for me and I am looking forward to a good year."

Jonas will use Jawas in the UK and stick to his tried and tested GM in Sweden.

Niels Kristian-Iversen made his World Cup debut for Denmark last year which boosted his confidence no end.

He said: "It's a big step up for me, but I am ready and looking forward to it. I think it is the right time to move up.

"I had a nine point-plus average for Newport in the Premier League last year and I will be sticking to my GM engines again this year."

Niels will also ride in Sweden alongside Sebastian Ulamek, and in Denmark this year, but will still live at his old digs in Newport.

Ryan Fisher took a while to get over being dropped by Coventry and was out on a limb until Oxford stepped in to sign him.

"I was disappointed to be left out by Coventry," he said, "but I'm more than happy to be joining up with Greg. It should be a good move for me."

The planned sponsorship for Fisher, which enabled Wagstaff to make the move for the Californian, backfired and the promoter has had to rescue the situation.

"We are working on a new plan now, and hopefully it will work," Fisher added.

Riding with Hancock excites the the 20-year-old Californian.

"Anybody working with him will soon discover he brings the best out of them," he said.