THREE-TIME world champion Greg Hancock has put the pressure firmly on Jason Doyle ahead of this weekend’s Torun Grand Prix.

The Swindon Robins’ skipper took over the lead of the Grand Prix standings in Stockholm last weekend as he claimed his third win on the bounce.

With American veteran Hancock failing to make the final and finishing down the field in eighth, 30-year-old Doyle was able to establish a five-point lead at the top.

However, experienced Hancock now believes the burden is off his shoulders and will look forward to the chance to chase his rival down in Poland on Sunday.

“In some ways the pressure is off me now. When you’re at the top everyone is looking at you and the pressure is there a bit more,” he said.

“But in second you’re the guy chasing and you’ve got nothing to lose. I’ve been at the top for a while this year but now I’m in second and the pressure has shifted to Jason (Doyle).

“Doyley is the favourite now for sure. He’s the guy with the points in the bag and he’s on an awesome run, so he’s the guy to beat.

“I take my hat off to him because I know that winning one GP is hard enough – so winning three in a row is a special achievement.”

Sunday’s Grand Prix is the penultimate of the Grand Prix calendar, with the curtain coming down in Doyle’s backyard in Melbourne.

The Robins captain is hoping he will still be leading the series heading to the Etihad Stadium and with fellow Aussie Chris Holder still in with a shot at the podium, a big home crowd could see him over the line.

“This is what we need for Etihad Stadium – to have some Aussies up there in the title chase,” said Doyle.

“We need to show we’ve got some really good Australian riders in the World Championship.

“We’re going to go to Melbourne, do what we need to do to up the sport, get as many people as possible in the stadium and put on a good show.

“I’ve been riding in Europe for over 10 years now. But to go to Melbourne and have 90 per cent of the stadium shouting for me and Chris is awesome.

“It’s a really good feeling to get your name called in front of that many fans. You get the goosebumps and you get a bit emotional.

“After what happened in the final last year, hopefully I can do something special.”