FORMER Pirates star Antonio Lindback has announced his retirement from Speedway.

The 35-year-old was an Elite League champion in England twice, both occasions being with Poole in their double winning seasons of 2003 and 2004.

When aged just 18, Lindback roared on to the British scene with a seven-ride paid maximum in a British League cup fixture against Exeter and went on to score 1,156 points in the skull and crossbones.

Lindback last rode for the Wimborne Road side in the 2016 play-off final semi-final against Wolverhampton, after answering Poole's call as a late replacement for the injured Hans Andersen.

But as luck would have it his appearances were limited to just that one meeting as sickness ruled him out of the second leg, a meeting that saw Poole knocked out of the title race.

Lindback also made 110 Grand Prix appearances, scoring 746 world championship points and racing 590 heats, including 16 finals.

An adopted Swede and two-time World Cup winner, Lindback sealed the Bauhaus Elitserien title with boyhood club Masarna last month.

Posting on social media, the Rio de Janeiro-born star wrote: “Now it's time for a new chapter in my life.

“After 20 years as an elite rider, I choose to say thank you. I'm done with speedway as a rider.

“I have to say 2020 has been a special year. For my own part, the setbacks have been more than the successes. This has made me think about my future. The answers I received are that I now want to do something else.

“I am happy and proud of what I have accomplished during my career as a speedway rider.

“I could hardly have had a better end than winning Swedish Championship gold with my mother club Masarna.

“The Grand Prix wins in Terenzano, Torun and Cardiff stand out, as do the two gold medals for Sweden in the World Cup.

“I was an Elite League champion in England twice and won Swedish Championship gold individually as both a junior and senior.

“I’ve had many memorable competitions internationally and at home. I will miss the track, the smell of methanol and the sound of bicycles being warmed up in the pit, the adrenaline pumping when the tapes go up, and the crowd's cheers when it went well.

“Speedway has been a big part of my life and will always be close to my heart. Now I look forward to spending time with my family, accompanying the children to training, having a Friday rest, and all that that is part of family life.”