TRIUMPH over adversity – it’s just what serial champions Poole Pirates do.

And as you might expect, they did it in style with Poole’s latest addition to the Grand Prix brethren Maciej Janowski battling back to win heat 13 and seal the club’s sixth Elite League championship in 12 years.

For all the trials and tribulations of another testing campaign, this one was rarely in doubt as the determined hosts overcame early controversy and laid to rest the ghost of their Grand Final defeat to Coventry in 2010.

Dropped points and jumped gates stirred a ferocious Wimborne Road crowd, so much so that referee Mick Bates had little choice but to find in Poole’s favour when a Coventry collision threatened to rob Janowski and compatriot Shamek Pawlicki of a heat three maximum.

Bates relented, the race was awarded and Pirates never looked back.

It came as little surprise that Janowski and Kyle Newman led the charge, with Pawlicki showing the same irrepressible determination he did in the first leg to curtail the Bees’ sting.

A storming start from former Pirate Kyle Howarth saw Coventry reduce to one the aggregate arrears before Bates took centre stage.

Bees reserve Jason Garrity fell on the second lap with the hosts on a 4-2 but James Sarjeant darted out of the traps in the re-run to ensure an unlikely share of the spoils.

Already incensed by the decision to re-stage the previous race, Bates endured the wrath of the crowd as the red lights came on when Coventry guest Max Fricke collided with team-mate Chris Harris on the second lap of heat three.

Fricke had led the way but Janowski and Pawlicki fought back and were on a 5-1 at the time of the incident with Poole taking the points following vehement protestations.

The headaches kept coming for Bates – Sarjeant ripped the tapes and was replaced by stronger reserve Garrity who appeared to jump the start in the re-run before Milik slid into his rival.

Surprisingly, all four came back with Milik pushing winner Howarth all the way but a tremendous gate and team ride from Troy Batchelor and Janowski saw Poole boss heat five with a maximum that opened up a seven-point advantage.

Pawlicki split Coventry’s top two and bagged two points in heat six, while the reserves lit up heat seven as Newman produced a sensational dive up the inside of Garrity to take the win.

Milik then roared home with another full-throttle display as Pawlicki stole second with a slick switch on lap three and Poole were celebrating an 11-point cushion.

Newman blitzed his way to another barnstormer to win the second reserve heat before Batchelor mustered a manful victory to keep Coventry at arm’s length.

Poole had a scare in heat 11 as Pawlicki took out Janowski with the former ruled out of the re-run but his team-mate emerged from the air fence to win on his own and maintain his pursuit of a paid maximum.

Howarth took a third win but Morris and Newman followed him to keep Poole tantalisingly close to the title ahead of the big guns joining the party.

And that man Janowski didn’t disappoint – following a neck-and-neck start with Harris, he ripped up inside and eventually overhauled Hans Andersen to take the chequered flag and British speedway’s ultimate prize with it.

Despite the celebrations beginning in the background, Milik and Newman refused to let their foot off the gas and secured another maximum with Janowski and Pawlicki fittingly put the cap on Poole’s success with a 5-1 in the nominated heat.

STAR RIDER – MACIEJ JANOWSKI

Amid the injuries and Darcy Ward’s enforced absence Poole needed a quiet, composed character to just get on with the job – they could have asked for no one better than Maciej Janowski.

During his two years at Wimborne Road he has gone from being a strong performer at home to Mr Consistent across Europe, resulting in his place at speedway’s top table.

If there were any questions about his ability to handle the big stage, this meeting answered them with a paid maximum on Poole’s big night.

Asked about his future after of the meeting, he said: “Of course I’ll stay in Poole.”

Pirates supporters raised the roof. It’s not hard to see why.

HEAT DETAILS

Pirates 53 (90): 1 Troy Batchelor, guest (0-3-3-0) 6, 2 Nick Morris, guest (2-1-0-2) 5, 3 Shamek Pawlicki (2*-2-2*-fx-2*) 8+3, 4 Vaclav Milik (2-0-3-3)8 , 5 Maciej Janowski (3-2*-3-3-3) 14+1, 6 Benji Compton (1*-0-0) 1+1, 7 Kyle Newman (2-3-3-1*-2*) 11+2. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Bees  37 (71): 1 Hans Andersen (1-1-2-2) 6, 2 Kyle Howarth (3-3-0-3-0) 9, 3 Max Fricke (fx-0-1-1*) 2+1, 4 Kenneth Hansen (1-0-1*-0) 2+1, 5 Chris Harris (1-3-2-1*-1) 8+1, 6 Jason Garrity (fx-1-2-2-1) 6, 7 James Sarjeant (3-t-1*-0) 4+1 . Team manager: Gary Havelock.

Ht 1: Howarth, Morris, Andersen, Batchelor, 61.65 (39-38)

Ht 2 (re-run): Sarjeant, Newman, Compton, Garrity (fell/dsq), 62.44 (42-41)

Ht 3: Janowski, Pawlicki, Harris, Fricke (fell/dsq), awarded (47-42)

Ht 4 (re-run x2): Howarth, Milik, Garrity, Compton, 62.63 (49-46)

Ht 5: Batchelor, Janowski, Hansen, Fricke, 61.94 (54-47)

Ht 6: Harris, Pawlicki, Andersen, Milik, 61.47 (56-51)

Ht 7: Newman, Garrity, Morris, Hansen, 62.44 (60-53)

Ht 8: Milik, Pawlicki, Fricke, Howarth, 61.66 (65-54)

Ht 9: Newman, Garrity, Sarjeant, Compton, 62.47 (68-57)

Ht 10: Batchelor, Harris, Fricke, Morris, 61.75 (71-60)

Ht 11 (re-run):  Janowski, Andersen, Hansen, Pawlicki (fell/dsq), 61.63 (74-63)

Ht 12: Howarth, Morris, Newman, Sarjeant, 62.82 (77-66)

Ht 13: Janowski, Andersen, Harris, Batchelor, 62.44 (80-69)

Ht 14: Milik, Newman, Garrity, Hansen, 62.60 (85-70)

Ht 15: Janowski, Pawlicki, Harris, Howarth, 62.81 (90-71)