RHYS Naylor heads into his next pair of ice speedway races with a new nickname.

The 16-year-old rider from Pitsea is competing in the Extreme International Ice Racing (XIIR) series in north America this winter and has been dubbed Tigger by other riders on the circuit.

“They are calling him Tigger because he is always smiling and has a spring in his step,” said dad Tom Naylor.

“Rhys reminds them of the Winnie the Pooh character and when you read the lyrics to the Tigger song you can see where they are coming from.”

Naylor heads to Elmira in New York State, America, on January 16 and 17 after making his debut in the XIIR early this month.

He picked up two points for a third-placed finish in his debut race but twice hit the ice while challenging for first place in his second race at Independence, Missouri.

“On his debut he rode better than what was anticipated as he had never raced on ice before,” added Tom.

“But he showed what he can do and his liking for the sport and impressed them with his maturity beyond his years.

“The only problem was that in the second race the other riders knew where he was going to go and were blocking him.”

Former Lakeside Hammers speedway team mascot Naylor, who rides for the King’s Lynn Barracudas during the British speedway season, is also settling in well into life in the States.

Since flying out to America on December 27 the teenager has been interviewed on radio and television about his XIIR campaign.