BRADY Kurtz admits it would be a “big thing” to earn Speedway World Cup selection – but knows he faces a fight to be picked for Australia.

Kurtz has made a stunning start to the SGB Premiership campaign with Pirates, averaging 2.21 points per ride in his opening seven meetings.

The 21-year-old was drafted in to replace the injured Sam Masters for Australia’s 49-41 defeat to Poland in Krakow at the start of this month, scoring six paid seven.

A former Australian champion, Kurtz rode in last year’s race-off at Belle Vue as the Roos edged out Denmark for top spot but he did not feature in the final.

And the Poole star would love to be at the tapes when Mark Lemon’s side take on Great Britain, the United States and the Czech Republic in event one at King’s Lynn on Saturday, July 1.

Kurtz told the Daily Echo: “I was involved in the World Cup last year and would like to be in it again.

“There’s a lot of Aussie boys going well so I think it’s a tough for Lemo to pick riders for the last few spots. Out of nowhere, we have a load of people who are on the verge of being at that level.

"It’s the next thing for me to do, pretty much. It would be a big thing to be picked and, hopefully, I am good enough to be in it.”

Rules over young riders have changed for this year’s World Cup, with each team’s nominated under-21 racer eligible to be thrown in at any point rather than just when an injury has occurred.

Meanwhile, Team GB boss Alun Rossiter insists Kyle Newman’s World Cup hopes are still alive.

But Rossiter admitted the Pirates racer – who spent the first month of the season on the sidelines – could miss out due to the form of others.

Rossiter is due to name his long squad at the start of next month with a maximum of 10 to be included.

He told the Daily Echo: “If I’m honest, it’s going to be tight whether Kyle’s going to make the squad with the way the others are going.

"But I don’t want to say he’s not in the squad because that might change. Anything can happen. At the moment he is still very much in my plans.”