SWINDON Robins skipper Troy Batchelor has vowed to show the Grand Prix circuit what he’s really capable of this season.

The 27-year-old finished ninth in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series last term, missing out on an automatic return to this year’s championship, but after being handed one of the four wild card picks on offer, Swindon’s Australian ace will be globe-trotting in the GP once again.

The international series, which features the cream of the crop from the speedway world, gets underway in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, April 18.

Batchelor, who will be competing in the second full GP campaign of his career, says that he feels more ready than ever to mix it with the best of the best after adding to his experience during the 2014 season.

“I finished ninth last year - not by much, but I got another chance to go in this year,” said the Swindon rider, who can also look forward to an Australian homecoming when the series travels to Melbourne on October 24.

“I am definitely a lot more ready for it this year. Last year, I was kind of thrown in last minute.

“I was in the deep water to start with. It didn’t really feel like it, but it is a different level of racing.

“It’s the best of the best, and everyone has the best stuff and they are racing as if it’s their last race, so everyone is going flat out.

“It took me a couple of meetings to get the hang of it; the way things are run and the big crowds. Things like that.

“In my last half of the season in the Grand Prix, I made the podium, made the final, and made a couple of semi-finals.

“I obviously learned something from the first half to the second half and put it into practice.

“I sat back after the season and watched a few meetings and analysed things and what I can improve.

“I think I’ve ticked some more boxes this year and am not going in to be top-eight or fall out - I’m going in there to challenge and show what I am made of.”