PIRATES captain Danny King admitted the cancellation of professional speedway in Britain this season “puts me in a very tricky situation”.

The former British champion did seal victory at the Ben Fund Bonanza back in March, finishing ahead of fellow Poole rider Steve Worrall.

But having not been able to get track time competitively since then, King said the wait to return to racing had been “a rollercoaster”.

British Speedway chiefs last week announced the season would be cancelled at elite level this year due to COVID-19.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing fans would be expected to return stadiums by October – time had run out to stage competitive speedway in 2020.

Reacting to the news, 33-year-old King told the Speedway Star: “It was a disappointment.

“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster. One minute it looked like we might get racing and then we seemed to take a bit of a backward step and you thought ‘it’s not going to happen’.

“Then something else happened and you thought there was another chance.

“Towards the end we started to get the feeling we weren’t going to get a season and it’s just disappointing. It’s my livelihood and it’s how I earn my money.

“It puts me in a very tricky situation, but everyone is in that boat at the minute and not just in the speedway world.”

Pirates promoter Danny Ford confirmed to the Daily Echo Poole were planning to run with the same one-to-seven in 2021 as they had planned for 2020 – meaning King is in line to skipper the Wimborne Road side next season.