THE 2009 speedway fixtures have now been published and a new season is on the horizon.

Not so many Grand Prix stars are going to be riding regularly in the Elite League this year.

But fans of the shale sport are still going to be spoilt when tapes go up at Poole in five-and-a-half weeks’ time.

That’s because there will be two different teams lining up at Wimborne Road, not just one as in the most recent past.

Yes, the newly formed Bournemouth Buccaneers join Elite League champions Poole Pirates at their Wimborne Road headquarters.

It’s a big gamble by Poole promoters’ Matt Ford and Giles Hartwell to serve up third-tier speedway as well as the top-flight variety.

Especially with eight back-to-back fixtures scheduled to take place on successive Wednesday and Thursday nights at a time when the credit crunch is hitting more and more peoples’ pockets hard.

At the same time, from speaking to speedway fans in general, I know a lot of them are truly excited about the birth of the Buccaneers.

I also believe with the squad Hartwell and team manager Garry May have put together – Jay Herne, Jerran Hart, Luke Priest, Adam Baseby, Mark Baseby, Matt Bates, Kyle Newman and Andrew Aldridge – Bournemouth will be genuine National League title challengers.

It won’t just be about silverware with the Buccaneers though.

It will be just as much about developing young talent – something British speedway should be encouraging even more than it is now.

Shale-shifting supporters in general just like to see promising youngsters make progress, whatever level they are racing at, Elite, Premier, National or even just Southern Area league.

So there is no excuse if you live in Dorset, West Hampshire or South Wiltshire to get yourself to Wimborne Road on a Thursday to watch some of those youngsters perform.

I’ve seen plenty of Conference League racing at Weymouth since Brian White re-introduced speedway to Poole’s neighbours along the Dorset coast in 2003.

So I can promise you it will be unpredictable thrill-a-minute racing from eager young starlets who want to go on and make a big name for themselves.

Let’s face it, even six-times world champion Ivan Mauger had to start somewhere.

So I guarantee you will not be disappointed by a night out watching the Buccaneers, particularly when you consider there is the added spice of derbies against south coast rivals, Wildcats and Isle of Wight.

As for Pirates – the main attraction at Wimborne Road – I also believe they’ve put together a team that can seriously challenge for the top-flight crown.

It’ll be a tough task emulating Poole’s flamboyant 2008 title-winning team after the points average limit meant that side had to be ripped apart.

But top guns Bjarne Pedersen and Chris Holder aren’t going to drop many points, home or away.

So if the other team members – Joe Screen, Daniel Davidsson, Jason Doyle, Kyle Legault, Carl Stonehewer or Tomasz Piszcz – can’t amass the necessary extras to guarantee enough victories to get into the play-offs, I’ll be surprised.

As Ford insisted in yesterday’s Echo, we will all know if it has gone belly-up by the end of April, whether the side is full of thoroughbreds or nags.

Rest assured if there are some nags, Ford has shown in the past that despite his sensitive side, he’s still not afraid to act quickly to make the necessary team changes to get Poole back on track.

After all, he’s got club assets to cover for any eventuality, whether it be loss of form or injury, with the likes of Magnus Zetterstrom, Grzegorz Walasek, Antonio Lindback, Matej Ferjan and David Ruud waiting in the wings.

With five Buccaneers confirmed as Pirates assets as well, and a sixth a distinct possibility, the future of the Poole club is in safe hands.

So my message to speedway fans is enjoy a real feast at Wimborne Road this year. Watch the top stars and the youngsters. You won’t be disappointed.