SWINDON Robins skipper Jason Doyle is hoping to finally cure the ‘headache that doesn’t go away’ this morning.

The 32-year-old is bidding to become the FIM Speedway World champion in his native Australia and requires just eight points from the final Grand Prix of the year.

The Aussie ace came so close last year before injury curtailed his campaign, but when he takes to the track in Melbourne today (9am BST), he knows that he is so close to fulfilling his dream.

With Doyle requiring is just eight points for his first world crown, that target is reduced by every point second-placed Patryk Dudek drops.

The Pole is 14 adrift of Doyle and is now the only rider mathematically able to stop the Robins star and becoming Australia’s sixth world champion and the first to be crowned Down Under.

Doyle admits he has felt the weight of expectation as he bids to close out the title race.

“It’s like the headache that doesn’t go away,” Doyle told speedwaygp.com.

“You’re always thinking about it and it’s always there.”

Doyle had the chance to claim the crown at the last round in Torun on October 7, but Dudek’s first SGP win denied him his moment of glory in Poland.

While he was gutted he had to wait another three weeks in his quest for gold, he is content with his efforts at the Motoarena as he tallied a rock-solid 10 points.

He said: “Looking back on it, of course you want to win a world title as fast as you can. When I left the meeting, I was a bit upset with how it all went, but it was actually not a bad result.

“I went there to score points – and I scored 10 more points than I got last year. So we’re still in a good position.”

Having seen his 2016 title charge cruelly ended by a heavy crash in Torun after three SGP wins on the spin, Doyle, who has had to contend with a broken foot earlier in the season, admits riding wisely, and not necessarily hard, will be the key to finishing the job at Etihad Stadium.

He said: “I’ve seen comments saying you have to ride hard to be a world champion, but you also have to be smart.

“You can be riding hard and then all of a sudden, you’ve won three GPs in a row and then you crash out and finish the season without even coming close to winning the world title.

“With 10 points scored in Torun, it was a good night in the end. We’re still there. Now I’ll go to Melbourne and try to do it in front of the Aussie fans.

“It’s in my home country and it makes it a little more special. I always wanted to ride in a Grand Prix.

“I never thought I’d ride in a Grand Prix here, let alone get to win the world title in Melbourne.”