PIRATES chief Matt Ford hopes bringing the SGB Premiership Riders' Championship forward will result in a Wimborne Road blockbuster.

In May, the Dorset track is due to host the prestigious meeting which has been won in the past by the likes of Chris Holder, Bjarne Pedersen and Tony Rickardsson.

The event, formerly known as the Elite League Riders' Championship, was last year held in September and Ford believes a date switch could encourage a strong field to turn out.

He told the Daily Echo: "One of the issues discussed at the AGM was that as the season progresses and riders are doing well in the Grand Prix, it's hard to get them to take additional meetings.

"The Premiership Riders' Championship has been put before the first Grand Prix, which takes place a matter of days later, because the association wants to get as large a crowd as possible.

"The hope is that we will have the top two riders from every club in the Premiership."

Poole last staged the event in 2006, when Belle Vue's Jason Crump came out on top.

Only Australian and Swedish riders have won the title since 2008, one of which was Holder six years ago.