OXFORD Cheetahs' star Leigh Adams, currently the hottest property in British speedway, believes this could be his year in the Grand Prix which gets under way tonight at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Stadium in Berlin, writes JOHN GAISFORD.

He lines up along with teammates Todd Wiltshire and Brian Andersen on a totally new track.

Adams, who celebrated his 30th birthday with a party last Saturday, said: "I hope it will be my year. I am fairly casual about it this year. In the past, I have tended to think about the GP too much, but it's about time I won a round.

"The track is going to be new for everyone. I am taking four different engine set-ups and am confident one will do the trick. We will feel it out at practice and see how we go. I have ridden German tracks before and they tend to have very square corners."

Adams, who is in his 11th season in Britain, is over the moon at his form with Oxford this year, but warns the team must start to win away.

"We are just keeping our heads above water even at home at the moment, and we need Johno (Steve Johnston) to start getting a few points."

Asked whom he feared in the GP this year, he replied: "Most of them, because the equipment is so even now. But I am up for it, whatever happens."

Danish ace Andersen, known as 'The Axeman', will need to chop down a few trees if he is to play a part. His form with Cheetahs has been good this year, but he will know how far he has come after tonight's meeting.

He reckons practice day will hold the key for many. He said: "We don't really know the shape of the track or the type of shale, but we know it will be big, just like the Polish tracks, so most of the line-up won't have a problem with that.

"We will all need to have the capababilty of setting up the bikes for all types of surface, and one thing's for sure, fast equipment will be top of the list.

"Realistically, I would settle for a top-ten place at the end of the year or a position that would keep me still contention come September.

"I'm not going to say I am going to win. It's all so different riding in the GP to Elite League racing, but I have no negative vibes and a couple of good rides can make a lot of difference."

Wiltshire is having a battle with himself as he tries to fight off a virus he has been suffering since he touched down at Heathrow a couple of months ago.

He has never really been at his best for Oxford so far this season and that can be put down to his state of fitness.

I caught up with in Poland on Thursday, and he is still far from right. He said:" It's 25 degrees here and I am feeling dreadful. I'm full of aches and pains, but we will just have to push on.

"I have been getting some decent results abroad, but I tend to struggle in the second half of the meeting."

Tony Rickardsson, favourite to take Mark Loram's crown, suffered a bad hand injury in a crash in Sweden on Tuesday, but takes his place in the line-up.

Rickardsson is the 2-1, with Adams at 16-1, Wiltshire and Andersen 50-1.

FULL LINE-UP

Sullivan, Proasiewicz, Nilsen, Wolter, Louis, M Karlsson, Gustafsson, Barth, P Karlsson, Holta, Andersen, Ferjan, Stonehewer, Pedersen, Smith, Klingberg, Loram, Wiltshire, Hamill, Gollob, Rickardsson, Adams, Crump, Hancock.