TROY Batchelor has been drafted in to guest for Poole Pirates this week.

The experienced Aussie steps in at number three to cover for Tom Brennan, who is set to take part in an FIM European Championship qualifier in Austria on the same night.

Batchelor, 36, previously had a spell with Poole way back in 2007.

This year, the former Grand Prix and World Cup racer is riding in the Championship for Workington Comets.

Poole were not due to have a fixture this Wednesday, but this home meeting with Plymouth Gladiators in the BSN Series had to be rescheduled due to bad weather on the original date.

Plymouth themselves are also a rider short, with former Pirate Nico Covatti still recovering from injury. Scunthorpe Scorpions stalwart Simon Lambert is set to guest in his place.

Poole have one win from one in the group so far, while Plymouth narrowly lost out away at Oxford Cheetahs in their group opener.

Gladiators, managed by Garry May, have two members of Poole’s 2023 septet in their side in Kyle Newman and Joe Thompson.

Looking ahead to the meeting, promoter Danny Ford said: "I think Plymouth became very much an unfancied side when they lost the services of their intended number one, Nico Covatti, but they have certainly been surprising a lot of people with their early results.

"They ran Oxford very close in their other away fixture in our BSN group, which is always a difficult place to go to and then they were very impressive at home in their KO Cup performance against Scunthorpe.

“So we will have to be doing our utmost on Wednesday to take a good lead to the Coliseum later in the month, with the bonus points going to be key in getting through the group."

Pirates: Lawson, Thomsen, Batchelor (guest), Z Cook, B Cook, Hagon, Perry.

Plymouth: Lambert (guest), Bowtell, D Thompson, Newman, Barker, J Thompson, Hook.