Woffinden has pulled out of the national championship as he tries to become the first Brit to win three individual world championships.
The shock news will be announced this morning but Woffinden has ended fears he will also walk away from the Great Britain squad.
He admits: “I have to look after myself. I cannot afford a repeat of what happened to me in 2014 when I became burnt out mentally and physically.”
But he will definitely skipper the Lions in this summer’s Monster Energy World Cup, their best chance of being crowned champions since 1989.
Great Britiain are seeded direct to the four-nation final as hosts and will look to end the 27-year wait for a gold medal at Belle Vue’s new £7 million National Speedway Stadium.
The 25-year-old world No.1 has won the domestic championship three years in a row and had his sights on smashing Scott Nicholls’ record of seven wins.
He said: “This has been a very difficult call for me. I’ve worked so hard to get to this position and now I have to capitalise.
“It’s not in any way showing disrespect to my national championship, I will always be proud to say I have won the British title in three successive years.”
The Scunthorpe-born Woffinden was brought up in Australia and had the chance to represent either country.
He added: “I am proud to ride for Great Britain, the country of my birth, and I will give the World Cup my total commitment and effort. I will be there!”