LEGEND Bjarne Pedersen said his final farewell to speedway at Wimborne Road on Wednesday and insisted: “There would be no other place I would have wanted to say goodbye.”

The Danish star fulfilled his final laps on a bike at the home of Pirates, where he won three league titles.

Pedersen’s farewell saw Premiership Champions Peterborough, who he was a part of in winning the top flight last season, beaten by Championship winners Poole 55-35.

There was also youth and veterans’ races throughout the night on an emotional evening for the Dane.

He said: "There would be no other place I would have wanted to say goodbye to British Speedway and my racing career than here at Poole.

“I rode 10 seasons with them and have so many great memories, too many to single out any one in particular.

“But I wanted to be at Poole to say my farewells to the fans here as they have always been so supportive."

Zach Cook impressed for Poole on the night with 10+2 from reserve, while skipper Danny King continued his consistent scoring from 2021 with 10 points in total.

It was also a positive evening’s work from Steve Worrall (9+1), Ben Cook (8+1), Richard Lawson (8+2) and Drew Kemp (7+2).

Pirates begin their competitive campaign with a Championship Knockout Cup first-leg showdown with Plymouth at the Coliseum on Tuesday.

They are then set to host the Gladiators at Wimborne Road on Wednesday (7.30pm).