SWINDON are gearing up for a massive launch to their home season against league champions Poole at the Abbey on Thursday (7.30pm).
The sides meet in the new Premiership Supporters’ Cup competition in the first meeting on the new circuit – and it’s the start of a busy weekend as they also clash in Dorset on Good Friday morning, with the Robins then hosting Ipswich on Easter Monday.
Poole have retained four of the riders who took them to the Premiership title in 2018, including former Swindon men Josh Grajczonek and Nicolai Klindt, whilst Jack Holder returns at No.1 to form a strong Aussie spearhead with Brady Kurtz.
Robins boss Alun Rossiter shuffles his riding order from Monday’s league match at Wolverhampton due to the change in race format of this competition, with Troy Batchelor moving to No.3 whilst Dawid Lampart will partner skipper Jason Doyle.
Rossiter said: “It’s a great way to start at home, going up against Poole who are our biggest rivals.
“I understand people will have concerns about us starting off with so little track-time here, but at the end of the day it’s a speedway bike, you’ve got to turn left and it’s the same for everybody.
“Nobody is going to fear racing here, but whilst it’s a later start to our home season the boys have all been racing elsewhere before we went to Wolverhampton, so I certainly won’t be using the card that we’re race-rusty.â€
Supporters are reminded that they can have their say on the line-up for Heat 14 via the official Twitter feeds of both clubs.
Following Heat 10, Rossiter and Pirates boss Neil Middleditch will nominate four candidates for Heat 14, whose names will appear in a poll on the respective Twitter feeds.
The vote will last for 15 minutes and the two riders from each team with the highest percentage nominations will contest Heat 14. The managers are then free to choose any other riders – including those not selected in the vote – for Heat 15.
Elsewhere in the group, Ipswich and King’s Lynn have each gained a home win from their two clashes, with the Witches holding a race-points advantage courtesy of a 59-31 victory at Foxhall compared to the Stars’ 52-38 verdict in the reverse fixture.
SWINDON: Jason Doyle, Dawid Lampart, Troy Batchelor, Adam Ellis, Tobiasz Musielak, Zach Wajtknecht, James Shanes. POOLE: Jack Holder, Josh Grajczonek, Nicolai Klindt, Richie Worrall, Brady Kurtz, Nico Covatti, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen.
@SwindonSpeedway @poolespeedway
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