Former Grand Prix rider Lukas Dryml has told Eastbourne Eagles fans not to panic over his low-scoring start to the season.

The 27-year-old Czech scored just three points from five rides in the Dean Barker Farewell at Arlington last Sunday to finish 15th in a 16-man field.

Dryml admits he is at home on tracks far bigger than the 275-metre East Sussex circuit but has come in at short notice after Eagles ran into problems with a work permit application for Russian chamnpion Denis Gizatullin.

However the Pardubice-born rider, who beat Simon Gustafsson, Ricky Kling and Ollie Allen for his three points, has been hard at work at the Sussex circuit.

He expects to improve as the season gets under way, hopefully starting at home to Poole in the Elite Shield this Sunday (3.30pm).

Dryml admitted: “It’s about learning for me. I don’t think it will be too soon before I will be passing people from behind on this track.

“That’s why I need to do everything to make the starts sharp.

“I will be working on my engine and hopefully do some decent starts against Poole.

“It’s a new experience and I’m sure I will get into it. I really hope that will be pretty quick.”

Dryml realised fans might be critical of last Sunday’s score but said: “It’s not about what people say. I’d like to prove I can ride well here but it always takes time.

“David Norris said it takes a couple of weeks, maybe a month, before you get used to it and are a consistent rider here.

“This is a special track. You need to get used to the lines and everything.”

Eagles promoter Bob Dugard admitted he was a little concerned by what he saw from both Dryml and new reserve Kling, which finished last with two points.

Dugard said: “I think Lukas made the wrong mechanical changes after looking so good in practice. He had a special engine which wasn’t working at all but he knows what his problem is.

“Ricky was an area of concern, although he has got a few weeks to improve. But, if riders are not performing this season, we will not be afraid to make changes. We won’t just try and soldier on.”

The flipside to any home struggles for Dryml is that he should shine at larger circuits like Swindon and Peterborough.

It is clear he is particularly keen to do well at the latter, where he is a club asset but was left out of this season’s line-up.

He admitted: “At Peterborough I’ll hopefully feel at home.

“They weren’t very fair to me and I’m really happy to be here at Eastbourne.

“I think it can make me a better rider, give me more experience on small tracks.

“At Peterbourgh in the last couple of years I could race pretty easily.

“Even if I missed the start I could pass people easily there.

“Hopefully I go there and show they made a mistake and bring some points in for Eastbourne.”

New Eagles skipper Davey Watt continued his busy build-up to the new league season by getting in some valuable track time at Poole last night.

Watt scored 6 (4) at Bjarne Pedersen’s testimonial and heads to Swindon tonight to take on the Robins with his Swedish club Lejonen in a pre-season fixture He also rides in the Tom Madsen testimonial at King’s Lynn tomorrow.