POOLE Pirates have confirmed their penultimate member of 2024 septet with starlet Max Perry signing on for next season.

He joins brothers Ben and Zach Cook, number one Richard Lawson, and new arrivals Tom Brennan and Sam Hagon in riding at Wimborne Road next year.

It will be the 16-year-old’s first season riding in the Championship. Last term Perry competed in the National Development League, sustaining a nasty crash in the final of the competition that saw both an ankle and wrist broken.

However, Pirates are confident the teenager will be available when the tapes rise for the first time next season.

Pirates promoter Danny Ford shared: "Max was in our plans long before the decision was ratified at the recent AGM for all clubs to commit to the Youth Programme.

“Max joining Tom Brennan and Sam Hagon in the team for this year certainly means that Poole have three highly talented young British riders."

"As far as the two-point riders are concerned Max is right up there, probably one of the best at his average last season in the NDL.

“He shows no fear, as he demonstrated in his great heat win in the Championship Pairs when he led home Josh Pickering and Kyle Howarth. 

"We had planned to make Max a Pirate even prior to the horrific injuries he sustained during the NDL Grand Final at Oxford on the last day of the 2023 campaign, and thankfully he is on the way to recovery and assures us that he will be ready to race come the start of the season, which is fantastic news. "

Berkshire-raised Perry is a childhood Pirates supporter, with the teenager itching to don the skull and crossbones on his Kevlar.

He commented: "I used to watch Poole when I was younger so to ride for a club I used to support feels a bit surreal.

“I was really surprised to receive a phone call from Matt (Ford).

“I was not expecting it and I feel honoured to be asked to be a Poole Pirate.

“Poole is going to be a fantastic club to start my Championship career with.

“I know I will gain a lot of experience, receive the right guidance and it will give me a big confidence boost riding with such a great team."