Brent Werner is racing ahead of time. Almost a year, in fact.

Eastbourne's new signing set himself a target when he signed for Eagles of making a regular team berth by the end of the season.

A month on, however, and the UK-based American has already been promoted from reserve slot to No. 2 in the line-up.

A number of stand-out performances, highlighted by a near-record breaking display at Coventry, have propelled Werner into the higher stratosphere of the Elite League.

Werner scored a paid 20 points in Eastbourne's first league success of the season, one less than the legendary Gordon Kennett's record set 21 years ago.

And he top scored again with a paid 13 points when Eagles notched their first home win against Peterborough last week.

In many respects, Werner is this year's Kokko, mirroring the match-winning exploits of Petri Kokko in the 2000 championship team.

Kokko was left on the sidelines this time around and is currently kicking his heels back in Finland because Eastbourne were forced to jettison him to comply with the league's restrictions on team strengths.

The difference is that Kokko, for all his vital contributions, never made it into the top five and stayed at reserve all season.

So has his elevation into the team proper come too soon for Werner? He believes it hasn't, and he is ready to tackle the big boys head on.

"Winning races is going to be a lot harder now, but I've been beating some of the top riders, so I'm more than happy to give it a go and see what happens. I'm confident I can do OK."

Speedway is in Werner's blood. "I've been riding bikes since I could walk, and I was racing 500cc machines when I was 16 back in the States."

Werner is now 26 and has been in England for six years. He has married an English girl and now lives in this country.

His racing background, a wealth of experience of riding in the lower league with Workington, Long Eaton and Newcastle, plus plenty of guest appearances in the top flight, made him a natural successor to Kokko.

"I was happy riding in the second division and scoring loads of points, but I felt it was time to move up. I had nothing to lose, and everything that has happened so far this season I think proves I made the right decision."

Eastbourne boss Jon Cook and Eagles' fans knew all about Werner from his efforts in the Brighton Bonanza. He has won the indoor title at the Brighton Centre once and been in the frame on two other occasions.

The tight racing turns suit Werner, who was brought up on small tracks in America, but two of his best performances for Eastbourne so far have been on bigger circuits at Coventry and King's Lynn.

So where does Werner go from here? He is determined not to become a victim of his own success in the same way as Kokko.

"My next target is to aim for a heat leader spot. If I can achieve that before the end of the season, then I will really be flying."