NEIL Middleditch believes aspiring youngsters should look no further for advice than to ex-Pirates star Leigh Adams, who has just retired.

The Aussie ace brought down the curtain on a distinguished 22-year racing career by finishing second behind Troy Batchelor in his farewell meeting at Mildura yesterday.

Current Poole Castle Cover star Darcy Ward was third, with Cameron Woodward fourth.

Pirates spearhead Chris Holder, who doesn’t rate Mildura as one of his favourite tracks, missed out on the top four after notching seven points from five rides.

Adam, 39, now intends to help bring on Australia’s next generation of stars by setting up academies and training schools at his hometown track.

Poole team manager Middle-ditch said: “They couldn’t have a better teacher.

“When he was racing, everything about Leigh oozed first class – his equipment, professionalism and approach to all aspects of speedway.

“Although he never won the world title, the Aussie youngsters do look up to Leigh and think what a great ambassador he’s been.

“Even though Jason Crump has won the world title, I think the influx of Aussies racing in this country is mainly down to Leigh’s influence.

“All the youngsters in Australia have the greatest admiration for Leigh.”

Adams, who notched six points for Poole’s juniors at Arena-Essex on his British debut way back in August 1988, spent two spectacular seasons in Pirates’ senior team.

As a teenager in 1989, he spectacularly rose from reserve to heat leader after only 10 meetings as Poole swept to the old National League title.

Returning to Wimborne Road on loan in 2003, Adams outgunned six-times world champion Tony Rickardsson by finishing top of Pirates’ averages as they charged to a remarkable Elite League, Knockout Cup and British League Cup treble.

Looking back, Middleditch said: “It was a pleasure to work with Leigh in 2003 because he’s been one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors in the last two decades.

“Any aspiring youngster could do a lot worse than look at his outlook and professionalism.

“He’s been the consummate gentleman.

“It was great working with him in 2003. With him and Tony, it was a manager’s dream.

“Come heats 13 and 15, the opposition had to come up with something special to beat them.

“Leigh will probably go down as one of the greatest riders never to win the World Championship.

“Although he’ll certainly look back on his league careers in Poland, Sweden and Britain with pride, I don’t think he neglected his Grand Prix chances.

“He just raced in an era when there were such great riders as Tony and Jason when you had to be very special to be world champion.

“Leigh was certainly capable of winning it and he’ll probably look back on some points he dropped and think it could have cost him the title.

“He was always in the upper echelons but it was the one trophy that eluded him.”

Swedish-based Rickardsson travelled halfway across the world to ride some demonstration laps in Adams’ farewell.

Middleditch said: “It just shows what respect Tony has for Leigh and the sort of respect he commands from his other peers.”