King's Lynn Stars number one Niels-Kristian Iversen has fired a warning to the speedway world: I'm looking to get even quicker.

The 30-year-old enjoyed a scintillating 2012 as he stormed to the top end of the Elite League averages, won his third World Cup with Denmark and qualified for the Speedway Grand Prix series.

However, Iversen – riding on loan at Lynn for the third season in a row – is adamant he will not be resting on his laurels as he looks to cement his status as one of the sport's top riders again this year.

Lynn's star performer of last year, who won the Bob Kilby Memorial Meeting earlier this month, said: 'It's always important for me to get a good start to the season. Some riders say they like to practice and test their equipment but for me it's important to get into gear and get some confidence and I've started off where I finished last year.

'My plan is to improve from 2012. There's always some ways you can get better and I always try to find these small things to improve. It's no different this season. I want to win the races I'm in and I want to be better.'

The Dane rounded off his dream season by qualifying for the GPs, which start in New Zealand on Saturday, for the first time since 2008.

And after qualifying through the GP Challenge, Iversen admits he will do his best to take the positives from the meetings against the sport's finest into his races for Lynn in the forthcoming Elite League campaign.

He said: 'It's hard to say whether the GPs will help. They can be good or they can be bad for you. They can easily take away your confidence if you don't do well so I'm going to try to not let that affect me if I start to struggle.

'But I can't see why I shouldn't be able to take my form from last year into the Grand Prix. I was really consistent and hopefully I can maybe break a few barriers for myself. If I get a few good results that might benefit me in league racing as well.'

The red-hot rider was at the centre of a dispute between his parent club Peterborough Panthers and Lynn throughout the winter as to whether he should be allowed to ride for the Norfolk Arena club again.

But the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA) rejected the Stars' A47 rivals' appeal to leave NKI facing the city club in Lynn's first meetings of the season, a derby double-header, on Friday March 29.