SWINDON Robins open their league campaign on Saturday and the first two meetings will give a good indication about the strength of the 2017 team.

A week ago Swindon would have fancied their chances of an easy win at a below-par Leicester on Saturday.

But the Lions have made a couple of late changes following the sad demise of Coventry, with former Bees Danny King and Josh Bates replacing Latvian Andzejs Lebedevs and German Kevin Wolbert.

The Blunsdon home season starts next Thursday (April 6) with the visit of Belle Vue who have Max Fricke, Craig Cook and former Robin Steve Worrall in the side, which will make for a real tough night for the Robins.

We can also expect Justin Sedgmen to have his say in this fixture; many fans think he was unlucky not to be included in this season’s Robins team.

Nick Morris was among those impressed with the Blunsdon track at the behind-closed-doors practice session on Sunday.

The hard work put in by the track staff had paid off and Morris was heard to say how well the track rode. He certainly put in some fast laps.

Skipper Jason Doyle and newcomer Adam Ellis were absent, on duty in Poland.

Doyle had a very encouraging weekend. He was unbeaten in his two rides at the Darcy Ward Invitational meeting at Poole in Friday before it was abandoned.

He continued this form in Poland with a paid 14 points in Torun, at the first of three rounds in the Eurosport-televised One Sport International Best Pairs Championship.

Torun was the track where Doyle's season came to an end due to a horrific crash last season, which scuppered his almost certain victory in the world championship.

Three were no signs of any Doyle demons as he and his partner, fellow Australian and World U21 champion Fricke, reached the final.

At one point Doyle and Fricke were in a 5-1 position, but the talented Poles, Piotr Pawlicki and Bartosz Zmarzlik, came through to claim a 4-2 win and take the lead in the championship.

Ellis, racing in the Polish second tier, gained two race wins in Ostrow’s heavy 59-31 defeat at Pila.

Morris made a rare appearance at Workington last Saturday, scoring three second places in the Cumberland Open Championship, an event won by maximum man Craig Cook, with 2016 Robin Charles Wright in second place.

Press and Practice day at Blunsdon takes place on Thursday, before Doyle and Morris have their final warm-up for the domestic season when they contest the BSPA Premiership Best Pairs Championship at Somerset on Friday.

With their experience of the circuit they should be favourites to win.