By Richard Crowley BBC Radio Swindon's speedway correspondent

Australian Leigh Adams will lead Swindon into action again in 2009

Swindon will begin the 2009 season as the team to beat, having been installed as Elite League title favourites.

Grand Prix star Leigh Adams will again skipper the side, which has an exciting cast of young supporting riders.

And Australian Adams says that in the club's 60th anniversary the time is right to win a first title since 1967.

He told BBC Radio Swindon: "We're the best club in the country. We've got the best promoters and the best supporters and it's time for us to pay them back."

Australian Troy Batchelor, new signing Simon Stead and Croatian wonderkid Jurica Pavlic give the Robins an impressive strength in depth.

Travis McGowan returns after a difficult 2008 and Pole Krzysztof Stojanowski, American Ryan Fisher, and Australian duo Cory Gathercole and Richard Sweetman complete the squad.

But Adams is quick to cap the expectation that the Elite League title is Swindon's for the taking.

"We've got a good young crop, guys who have got a load of potential, and my job is to try and improve those guys and bring them on," he added.

"But it's not home and hosed, let me tell you. It all looks pretty solid, but it's a long, hard year. Everyone's got us down as favourites and are hyping it up, but I don't take all that.

"We came very close in 2007 when we fell at the last hurdle and ran out of steam. Last year we rode our socks off and did a wonderful job.

"This year we have to forget about what's going on around us and all the hype and just get on with our deal."

Swindon lost in the play-offs last year and manager Alun Rossiter said: "The expectation will be there this year and we have to rise to the challenge.

"We've got to steer clear of injuries, we need to have a little bit of luck on the way and if this team can do what we think it can do then hopefully we can deliver. My goal is to bring that elusive title back to Swindon."

The new season starts with a Knockout Cup clash against Wolverhampton on Thursday 26 March, with the Elite League campaign starting four days later at Poole on Monday 30 March.

Leigh Adams

One of the true legends of Swindon speedway. He holds the record for the most points scored by a Robin and, although he will celebrate his 38th birthday during the season, shows no signs of slowing down.

The 10-time Australian Champion is the highest-ranked rider in the Elite League following the decision of some of his fellow Grand Prix colleagues to sit out the British Elite League.

But, what makes Adams such a key figure is his ability to pass on his knowledge to the younger riders in the team. His experience both on the track and in the pits will be invaluable for the likes of Troy Batchelor, Simon Stead and Jurica Pavlic.

Troy Batchelor

The popular 21-year-old from Brisbane is returning for his second season with the Robins after an impressive first campaign when he progressed from second-string to second heat-leader behind Adams.

He picked up an injury while practising in Poland last year and many expect him to come back stronger after the winter break. He should also respond well to the rivalry from the likes of Stead and Pavlic as the main support to Adams.

Simon Stead

Stead joins the Robins on a full-time transfer from Elite League rivals Belle Vue having spent last season on loan at Coventry and knows a good season could see him push for a place in the Team Great Britain World Cup squad.

By his own admission did not quite achieve the targets he had set himself in 2008 and 2009 could be a key season as the 26-year-old seeks to turn his undoubted natural talent into consistent results.

Jurica Pavlic

The Croatian wonder-kid starts the season on an assessed 4.00 average, but showed in his short spell with the Robins at the end of last season that he has the potential to double that over the course of a full campaign.

He is one of the hottest properties in world speedway, but having shown a glimpse of what he can do there will be more pressure on him to perform in 2009. Assuming he can handle that he could be the magic ingredient that transforms Swindon from a good side to a great side.

Travis McGowan

The 28-year-old Australian has a wealth of experience in the British Elite League, but struggled terribly in 2008 when he was dropped from the Robins line-up after a poor run of form before being reintroduced because of injuries.

He returned for the play-off semi-final defeat and recorded a season's best 14, a score that suggests he may have put his problems behind him. He has spent the winter resting Down Under and many will expect him to repay the Robins' faith with a better season.

Krzysztof Stojanowski

Polish-born Stojanowski is moving full-time into the Elite League having spent the past three years riding for the Isle of Wight in the Premier League and it is a big step up for the 30-year-old.

But he has impressed the Robins management during past guest performances for the club and is a strong rider with a never-say-die attitude and has an important role to play from the reserve berth.

Ryan Fisher

Under new regulations introduced this season, the 25-year-old American, who first arrived on these shores in 2002, will share the reserve position with Cory Gathercole while also competing for Edinburgh in the Premier League.

He has spent the last two seasons rebuilding his British career after two years in America and was an influential member of Edinburgh's winning team last season and earned a number of Elite League guest bookings, including two impressive performances for Peterborough at Swindon.

Cory Gathercole

The 22-year-old Australian, who is the cousin of skipper Adams, has impressed with his commitment when riding for the Robins as a back-up rider in the past few seasons and will share a reserve position with Fisher.

He will ride for Somerset in the Premier League, will benefit greatly from the doubling up regulations and as long as he can steer clear of injuries could be ready to move up into the Elite League full time in 2010.

Richard Sweetman

Another Australian, Sweetman will be the Robins number eight, meaning he can be called up to replace the team's reserves if they get injured or are unavailable because of clashes with their Premier League commitments.

The 18-year-old will also ride for Birmingham in the lower division, and is seen as one for the future of the Robins.

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