Doyle confirms GB speedway exit with Ipswich up for sale

Former world champion Jason Doyle will not return to British speedway in 2026, ending a four-season association with Ipswich Witches.

The Australian helped the Witches win their first league title for 27 years when they beat Leicester Lions 93-86 on aggregate in October.

However, the club was put up for sale by promoter Chris Louis last month with the future of the sport uncertain as only five teams are confirmed for next year.

"What's going to happen with our league racing? We need to be racing the best in the world and there are a lot of riders pulling out of Britain at the moment," Doyle told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"I've been here 20 years in British speedway and over that time we've lost 12 teams.

"I've still got a few more years left, but it's a scary thought for the kids who are going to start up [in speedway], they might not have a team in the near future."

The Witches were founded in 1950 and Louis took over as promoter from his father John in 2019.

"I've got a very good relationship with Chris, (former team manager) Ritchie (Hawkins), the sponsors, so it was a very hard decision to walk away, even when Chris had decided to sell the club," added Doyle.

"If someone had bought the club who I'd want to work with, then I'd probably have said no to riding in Sweden but it hasn't come about - there's no buyers at the moment."

He believes the Witches need to find a buyer from the Ipswich area, rather than someone from elsewhere in Britain or overseas.

"I thought it was a very family oriented club. It was a pleasure to turn up every Thursday and we had nothing to worry about, we just had to ride our bikes - simple," he said.

"It was a nice way to finish. The fans finally got that title that had eluded them for many years. There was massive pride in the town - we'd finally done something that was very special and I'm never going to forget it."