PIRATES DEALT PRE-SEASON SET-BACK

The Pirates have been dealt a setback on the eve of the 2026 season, with Dan Gilkes confirming he will not be ready to start the campaign.

Gilkes, who was due to make his Poole debut on Good Friday, has been working hard to return to full fitness after missing a large part of the 2025 season following a crash at Wimborne Road last May.

However, after two practice sessions last week including outings at Poole and Leicester, where he suffered a few falls, Gilkes has made the decision that he is not yet where he needs to be to come to the tapes.

With limited practice opportunities available due to recent poor weather, the call has been made late, but Poole promoter Dan Ford praised the rider’s honesty.

“Dan has been working really hard to be ready, but after a couple of practice sessions last week he feels he’s just not quite where he needs to be yet. There’s been a lack of track time for everyone with the weather, so it’s been difficult to get fully up to speed.

“We appreciate his honesty, it’s better to make this decision now rather than risk coming in underprepared at the start of the season.

“We’ll look to bring Dan into the side once he’s fully fit, and in the meantime we are working on a temporary replacement. We’re confident the rider we’re speaking to is more than capable of doing a job for us, and we hope to be in a position to confirm that shortly.”