David Norris today challenged Britain's top riders to prove they can succeed at the highest level.

Norris spearheads Eastbourne Eagles in their first home Elite League meeting of the season as highly-fancied Peterborough Panthers visit Arlington tomorrow (7.30pm).

Panthers, bank-rolled by ambitious new promoter Colin Horton and with a much-changed line-up, are one of the foreign legion outfits in the top flight.

Their only Brit is reserve Richard Hall, who comes from Yorkshire and had a brief stint with Eastbourne last summer.

Norris admits he can thank the dearth of emerging talent for his recall to Team GB when they tackle Sweden at Swindon a week on Tuesday.

But he has no problem with the overseas stars who dominate EL line-ups.

Eagles are the only team to have three Brits in their top five.

But Norris said: "It's a competitive country. It's a multi-national country. That's the case in everyday life and sport is no different.

"If you are not good enough, someone else will take your place.

"Maybe we just don't have the desire in this country. Maybe we just look at it as a relaxed job and a few quid in the bank.

"Maybe we haven't got that final ambition to be the best like, for example, the Scandinavians, who are very competitive."

Norris is thrilled to be back in the international set-up and is relishing a return to the Blunsdon track where he suffered the head injury which ruined last season for him.

But he admits he was not always so excited about international meetings.

He said: "If this one goes well it bodes well for me and the World Cup, which is what it's all about.

"It would be great to be in the World Cup final at Reading because that's where I rode ten years ago.

"In years gone by, I couldn't care two hoots about riding for my country but that's the wrong attitude.

"Representing your country at any level is a great achievement and I would love to have one more crack at it in a World Cup.

"There's not a great deal of British talent around at the minute, which is my saving grace.

"I've had my chance numerous times. Luckily I've got another halfchance and I intend to take it.

"The Polish guys have come good and there are some good young Swedes about.

"But there's not a great deal Kirtley gives up vice-captaincy about over here, although Lewis Bridger and Edward Kennett are our local boys and they are both still very young.

"There are a lot of British riders out there who hopefully will be good but none of them slap me in the face right now."

Unlike football's Premiership, the EL can claim to attract its sport's very top exponents but the profusion of lower order overseas riders annoys some observers.

Norris himself will again be an overseas rider this year. He hopes to see plenty of action for Vargarna in Sweden after signing for their nine-man squad and is on standby for occasional meetings with Lublin in Poland.

Eagles face a battle tomorrow as they aim to build on a narrow defeat in their only league match to date, at Belle Vue.

Peterborough have been re-built around Hans Andersen, Ryan Sullivan and Niels-Kristian Iversen while low-average Pole Tomasz Bajerski is also being touted as an ace in their pack.

Former Eagle Ulrich Ostergaard rides at reserve, one of four Danes in a team tipped for big things.

By contrast, the pundits seem to be writing off Eastbourne.

Norris, though, declared: "Our attitude is 'bring it on'.

"I can see people disregarding our team.

"They look at me and what I did last week and think that's as good as it gets but I know differently.

"I'm really pleased with the way I feel. Now I just need to get the bikes set-up a bit better."

Eagles: David Norris, Andrew Moore, Dean Barker, Adam Shields, Nicki Pedersen, Brent Werner, Lewis Bridger Panthers: Hans Andersen, Tomasz Bajerski, Jesper B. Jensen, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Ryan Sullivan, Richard Hall, Ulrich Ostergaard.