BRITISH Speedway are set to put an emphasis on home-grown talent after this weekend’s annual general meeting in Warwickshire.

Top flight clubs will continue to track two draft riders – starting the season at reserve – but they will be given averages after four meetings, which gives them the chance to move into the top five.

At Premier League level, every team must track a British rider who is eligible for the National League in the number seven berth on a three-point average.

All eight sides that competed in the Elite League last season will be back for the new campaign and will have a points limit of 40.5 to work with when they begin assembling their sides - a rise from 34 last season - but that total will also include the reserve riders.

Heat-leader standard riders will be graded into a list, with a maximum of three per club in an attempt to deal with the distorted averages created by race format.

Any new non-British riders assessed at 6.5 or above will also join that list.

There will also be an attempt to bring the number of guest appearances down, with rider replacement to apply for absent riders who are fourth or fifth in their club’s averages.

Promoters have also agreed to take on board proposals from the Ipswich chief - former Grand Prix and World Cup star Chris Louis - to work alongside Neil Vatcher and Poultec on the development of young British riders, with more funding to be put in place.

Elite League promoter Chris Van Straaten, the current vice-chairman of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, said: “I was extremely encouraged by the atmosphere amongst the eight Elite League clubs.

“As a league, we are delighted by the success of the draft system and there are now certain riders who are ready to move into the main body of teams, so for the tier one reserves, they will now get an EL average after four meetings.

“They will start the season on a converted average from the PL but they will start the season at reserve, even if this is in excess of a top-five rider.”

Full ratification of the changes made will be made when the AGM is concluded on Tuesday, November 3.