RIDER Terry Day is confident the Weymouth Doonan Wildcats can still challenge for top National League honours despite losing skipper Jon Armstrong to a knee injury.

The 24-year-old will come face to face with his former club Rye House at the Wessex Bus Raceway tomorrow and he is champing at the bit following an impressive showing in last week’s 62-31 win over the Somerset Giants in a Challenge meeting.

Day, racing alongside the Wildcats’ new number one Mark ‘Buzz’ Burrows, scored 12 points from five races in the landslide victory and he is now targeting more success against the team he left Weymouth for at the end of the 2007 campaign.

Day said: “My set up is completely different to what I would normally run but it seems to be paying off because I have been gating a lot quicker.

“I have always been able to race and overtake people but if you do not get off to a good start it puts you under added pressure so hopefully, if I stick with it, it will continue to reap rewards.

“Rye House are our next opponents and with them being my former club it would obviously be nice to be among the points again but as long as we come out on top as a team I will be happy.”

Burrows, who scored six paid nine against Somerset, will again deputise for Armstrong in the Wildcats’ line-up on Friday and it is still unclear just how long the Mighty Midget is likely to be sidelined.

Day added: “Losing Jon is a big blow. He has a wealth of experience and knows different tracks but now we just have to get on the best we can without him.

“I am not sure what the arrangement is with Mark Burrows and how long he will be staying but he is another former Premier League rider with great experience and I am sure he will do well for us.

“In the Challenge meeting last Friday I am sure he was hoping to get off to a better start but luckily for me I made some good starts ahead of him.

“The other thing that has to be taken into account as well, is that was Mark’s first competitive ride for a few months so it is bound to take him a little time to get back to full race fitness.”

When asked how Armstrong’s absence is likely to affect the Wildcats’ title hopes, Day added: “I still think we have got one of the best clubs in the country in terms of riders at this level.

“But the National League is a lot harder compared to the old Conference so it is going to be tough. However, I still think we should come out on top.”

The Wildcats also travel to the Norfolk Arena this Saturday where they will take on the Kings Lynn Barra-cudas.