Cook can serve up the British title

Cook, runner-up in the past two years, will be among the favourites for the crown at the new National Speedway Stadium in Manchester on Monday night (June 13).

And with reigning champion Tai Woffinden not taking part, the 28 year-old appears to have an outstanding chance of glory on his home Elite League track.

Attwood said: “There is no doubt in my mind that Craig is capable of becoming British champion. He could hardly have come closer in the last two years and it would be brilliant for him to go that extra yard and win it this year.

“Tai might not be involved, but there is still some tough competition. Scott Nicholls is going for his eighth title and will also be on his home track, Chris Harris is bound to be in the mix as well and then you’ve got the young guns like Robert Lambert coming through.

“It would be great for us at Peterborough to have the British champion in our team, and I know it would be a huge honour for Craig to win it for the first time.”

BRITISH FINAL DRAW: 1 Josh Bates (Coventry/Sheffield), 2 Steve Worrall (Belle Vue/Newcastle), 3 Craig Cook (Belle Vue/Panthers), 4 Danny King (Coventry/Ipswich), 5 Josh Auty (Leicester/Scunthorpe), 6 Simon Stead (Sheffield), 7 Ben Barker (Coventry/Glasgow), 8 Richard Lawson (Lakeside/Glasgow), 9 Scott Nicholls (Belle Vue), 10 Paul Starke (Leicester/Somerset), 11 Richard Hall (unattached), 12 Robert Lambert (King’s Lynn/Newcastle), 13 Chris Harris (Coventry), 14 Richie Worrall (Belle Vue/Glasgow), 15 Jason Garrity (Coventry/Sheffield), 16 Kyle Howarth (Wolverhampton/Sheffield). Reserves: Charles Wright and Lewis Kerr.