PIRATES chief Matt Ford made a shock move for Krzysztof Buczkowski and then insisted: "He can beat anybody in the Elite League."

Polish international Buczkowski has joined on a season-long loan from Peterborough.

The 29-year-old, who possesses a 6.48 average, takes his place alongside Hans Andersen, Kyle Newman and Adam Ellis in the 2016 septet.

And while Ford admitted Buczkowski's switch would come as a surprise to some, he stressed that the 29-year-old would deliver in the skull and crossbones.

Ford told the Daily Echo: "There is always a move that comes from the left field by us, one rider who the fans don't necessarily know I'm interested in, and Buczkowski is certainly that rider for next season.

"He will start in a heat-leader berth and I think he will remain there.

"Within a couple of weeks, I think he will have Poole totally sussed and he's every bit capable of beating anybody in the Elite League.

"He is an incredibly fast rider and I have contemplated using him for a few years. I have been constantly in touch with his UK advisor, Krystian Plech, who helped us with the Kacper Gomolski move amongst others.

"There will be changes to the team this year and Krzysztof is a welcome addition."

The Grudziadz-born charger has been an occasional fixture in British speedway in recent years and spent time at Leicester in 2014.

Following the broken leg suffered by Jaroslaw Hampel in June, Buczkowski was drafted into the Poland side for the Speedway World Cup and helped his country finish third.

Ford believes Buczkowski could be a useful operator around the Elite League's smaller circuits, typically a tough ask for Polish riders used to the bigger tracks of their homeland.

The promoter added: "I'm buoyed by the fact that Krzysztof is quite good on small tracks.

"He might not rate Lakeside as one of the ones he particularly enjoys but Wolverhampton is somewhere that he has had a few good meetings.

"Of course, Belle Vue is going to be a bigger track next year so it works perfectly for the Poles to come in and ride well there.

"We will only have two small tracks left in Lakeside and Wolverhampton and I think that will play a big part in Krzysztof developing into a very decent rider next season."

The two-time Under-21 World Cup winner is due to fly into Britain next month to visit renowned engine tuner Peter Johns and crank up his preparations for 2016.

Pirates line-up to date: Krzysztof Buczkowski 6.48, Hans Andersen 6.45, Kyle Newman 4.10, Adam Ellis 3.00.