PIRATES new boy Krzysztof Kasprzak has "shown his commitment to British speedway" by taking on an English tuner who will also travel with him to home and away meetings next season.

One of the criticisms aimed at some Polish riders in the Sky Sports Elite League in recent years is that their equipment hasn't always been up to scratch.

But the teenage Kasprzak, the World Under-21 Final runner-up in 2002, has acted quickly to make sure he won't get tarred with the same brush.

Poole Meridian Lifts co-promoter Matt Ford said: "Krzysztof came over to Britain to take part in the Brighton Indoor meeting last month and Mike Golding, my fellow promoter, met up with him.

"Mike told me that Krzysztof has been busy preparing for his first year in the British League ever since he knew he was coming to ride for us.

"And Mike added that Krzysztof has taken on an English engine tuner and that he is employing the same engine tuner to travel with him to all meetings home and away over here.

"The aim is that they change whatever they need to do on his bikes as quickly as possible during meetings to make sure he does as well as he can on all the tracks in England, especially away ones.

"This shows his commitment to British speedway. And I think he is a completely different proposition, perhaps, to the Poles we employed last season, Mariusz Staszewski and Tomasz Chrzanowski.

"Tomasz had his problems with a motor car accident in Poland that held him back greatly. He also found it hard to adjust to tracks with dirt on them and the tighter tracks.

"Mariusz, I feel, slightly disappointed in his achievements because I know there was so much more available from him.

"That's not to say we have seen the last of him at Poole because his 4.58 average is not unusable in the future.

"Krzysztof is a much different rider, however, mainly because he is only 18, whereas Mariusz is 27. There is a nine-year age difference.

"He was also runner-up in last year's World Under-21 Final, only beaten by Lukas Dryml in a run-off for the title, and finished the season as the second heat leader for his Polish League club Leszno, whom he rides for alongside Leigh Adams.

"Krzysztof's average at the end of their season was 7.36 which for an 18-year-old is a very impressive figure."

Kasprzak comes into Poole's team on an assessed 4.50 average for a new foreigner and looks like sharing the reserve berth with David Ruud, the Swede who will also ride off that figure for Pirates.

Poole fans are still waiting to see who will join Ruud, Kasprzak, Bjarne Pedersen and Adams in their line up for Elite League action this term.

Tony Rickardsson and Lukas Dryml have been strongly linked with the club, but Ford stressed he preferred to remain tight-lipped over his targets at the moment.

He wants to wait until after learning the outcome of a meeting of all promoters scheduled for today before possibly making any comments on Pirates' current team-building situation.

The Pirates supporters' club, meanwhile, stage a speedway quiz night at Poole Stadium on Wednesday, January 22, to raise funds for the riders' equipment fund.

Tickets, priced £8 per person (£4 for under-14s), can be obtained by contacting Mike Noble (01202 387872) or Stan Vatcher (01202 691143).

A buffet is included in the price and there will be prizes for the winners.

Tickets need to be purchased before quiz night, as they will not be on sale at the door.

All Elite League promoters will meet today to discuss team strengths for the new season. Clubs have been given flexibility to go slightly above the 45-point limit with the agreement of fellow bosses.

The move was made in order to avoid denying riders the chance of a team place just because they would take the combined team average a fraction over the limit.