IT WAS business as usual for Scunthorpe number one David Howe when he returned to the Eddie Wright Raceway at the weekend.

The Scorpion was back in action for the first time since October after suffering a broken ankle.

The wintry weather prevented Howe (inset) from getting on a bike sooner, but he is now raring to go for the start of the new season.

"It seems a long time but I was finally able to get back on the bike," he said.

"It felt okay and was pretty good.

"It didn't take long at all to get back into it. It felt better than I thought it would.

"I've probably been ready for a couple of weeks, not so much physically but mechanically at least. But every time I had planned to go up to Scunthorpe, there was some snow or frost.

"I'm back at Scunthorpe today as well, so I will get some proper practice time then.

"I was always going to go down today but I just decided at the weekend to go down then as well.

"I'm glad I did. I've got today and then I've got press and practice day as well, so that's more than enough track time."

The majority of riders will have suffered from a lack of practice over the winter, leaving Howe confident he will soon be back to beating the best the Premier League has to offer.

"I don't tend to do a lot of riding in the winter anyway," he said.

"The start of the season is always the same, some riders start well and some take a bit longer to get back into it.

"It's nice to know I'm not behind everyone."