DANNY Ford stressed Pirates’ commitment to the 2020 British speedway season – whatever form it comes in.

The Wimborne Road co-promoter was speaking after fellow SGB Championship outfit Glasgow announced their decision to pull out of the division amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tigers listed a number of reasons behind the call not to participate in the league, with safety, rider availability and the appetite of supporters to see a shortened campaign, all listed as factors.

But Ford insisted Poole would be running should the 2020 campaign get under way, under the appropriate guidelines for health and safety.

British speedway chairman Rob Godfrey said: “Social distancing may well be reduced by August and we are 10/11 weeks away from a potential season, so we really don’t know where we will be in terms of prospects until this time next month.”

Asked whether the club still had intentions to race this campaign, Ford told the Daily Echo: “Absolutely. We know a lot of other clubs are still keen to run and we do feel that, based on what discussions have been behind the scenes, that we will get some racing in.

“There are still a lot of hurdles to get over first but we are incredibly hungry and, if we do get the chance to run, we will.

“Even if we do start in August, we can still get in a fair amount of racing. I truly believe once we do come out of this, fans will be looking to get out and see some live sport.

“While we have been showing our re-runs, nothing beats coming to Wimborne Road on a Wednesday night and seeing some live action.

“I think the appetite for speedway will be there when it comes back.

“Obviously, no-one knows what it will be like when we do come out of this but I think people are going to be really excited to get out of the house and hopefully see some live sport.

“We are looking forward to getting up and running.”

Poole have the majority of their 2020 septet based in the UK.

Reacting to the news about Glasgow, who had two riders based in Denmark, two in Australia and one in the USA, Ford said: “They have their own reasons and the situation is slightly different in Scotland to what it is down here.

“They have come to that decision, which is a massive shame. I was looking forward to going to Glasgow and they had a lot about them this year.

“For the safety of the supporters social distancing, particularly at their stadium at Ashfield, it’s not nearly as much as what we can do at Poole.

“We can do a lot more in terms of social distancing, which makes it a lot easier for us to keep all our supporters safe.

“Ultimately the health and safety of all the fans is the most important thing.”