SIMON Stead is hoping to help guide Great Britain to another gold medal in the FIM Speedway of Nations Final tonight (Saturday, July 13).

The Sheffield chief is also the joint team manager of the national side and is hoping they can replicate the success they managed in Manchester three years ago.

With Tigers’ Tai Woffinden injured, it will be those same three riders that try and reclaim the honours from Australia who won this event that last time it was held two years ago.

Robert Lambert, Dan Bewley and Tom Brennan will again be donning the GB race suit and Stead knows the home supporters are anticipating another successful event.

“We go into the final knowing the expectations of being the Great Britain team right now,” Stead said.

“A medal for second or third is no longer good enough, we know we’re good enough to win gold and we know that people will expect that from us being able to perform on our home territory.

“It would be fitting for all the hard work that goes in, not just from me and Olly (Allen - joint team manager), but the lads that have made the squad, the lads that have made the final three but also the whole backroom team like Rob (Painter) and Vicky (Blackwell) that have dedicated so much over the past 12 months, 24 months, 36 months - it’s been a process and we continue with what we’re doing and improving and moving in the right direction.

“I know we haven’t won gold over the last two years but ‘21 was pretty special when we did and I think that we’ve rode just as well, if not better, in the two years that we’ve finished second.

“We’re so lucky that we’ve got such patriotic fans that get right behind us and they will play their part, there’s no doubt about that.

“I hope come the end of Saturday we’ll all be jumping around and spraying champagne about.”

Great Britain will be doing battle with Sweden, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Australia and Latvia.