PIRATES teenager Brady Kurtz admitted he had elected to avoid the Premier League this season in order to go full tilt in Poland.

The New South Wales charger has ridden for Somerset in the past two campaigns but will sacrifice second-tier racing in Britain for Polonia Pila, where he is a team-mate of fellow Poole star Kyle Newman.

Kurtz, who will also ride for Esbjerg Vikings in Denmark, explained that another year in the Premier League would not have been compatible with his continental ambitions.

He told the Daily Echo: "I really wanted to do Poland this year. I think it was a good time for me to start and I really want to be serious about it.

"The Premier League has a lot of Sunday meetings but I really wanted to take Poland seriously and be in the team every week.

"Over there, they don't take too kindly to it when you say 'I can't come this week' so I will just see how I go."

Aussie champion Kurtz scored 14 paid 17 combined in his first two meetings for Pirates, against Coventry in the Elite Shield, and five paid seven against Swindon in the Elite League curtain-raiser against Swindon.

He added: "My biggest challenge this year will be minimising my bad days because I'm sure I will have them.

"You have to take those on the chin and keep moving forward."