LEICESTER youngster Joe Thompson has landed himself a Premiership team place with rivals Ipswich.
And that means he will be in direct competition with twin brother Dan when the Watling JCB Lions launch the 2023 season with a mouth-watering home fixture against the Witches in the KO Cup on Thursday March 30.
Joe has been handed a chance at Foxhall after their original choice for the Rising Star berth, Jack Thomas, suffered severe injuries in practice crash at Scunthorpe.
And it means he is set for a busy campaign racing at all three levels, including continuing as captain for the Lion Cubs’ defence of their NDL titles.
Thompson said: “It was one of my intentions to do (the Premiership) this year, but I didn’t get asked by any teams at the start of the year.
“I was happy with my new team Scunthorpe in the Championship, and in the National League as well.
“Now this is a new goal I have got and I’m looking to push forward. It is obviously one of the best teams to be a part of in the country and it wasn’t a hard decision at all, I’m glad to be a part of it.”
The Lions v Witches fixture on March 30 is set to be one of the most eagerly awaited openers at Beaumont Park in years.
The Watling JCB Lions will have five riders making their debuts for the club, including new skipper Chris Harris and GP star Max Fricke, whilst Ipswich hit the headlines last month with the news that Emil Sayfutdinov is returning to UK racing for the first time since 2011, and he joins former World Champion Jason Doyle in a side which contains several former Leicester riders.
