IT WAS an object lesson in rising to the occasion. Step one - entice a boisterous, buoyant crowd along to the second leg of your title decider with a brilliant away display in the first leg of the tie. (Oct 10)
Step two - rapidly dispel any lingering doubts of your worthiness for the league crown by ripping into your shell-shocked opponents with a performance seemingly charged with rocket fuel.
Step three - have the championship tied up by two-thirds of the way through the meeting to allow the celebrations to get in to full swing nice and early.
Step four - add Champagne, fireworks and thousands of jubilant smiles and indulge in some wild dancing and water fights.
Oh, and better order another crate of silver polish, there's another sizeable trophy adorning the Wimborne Road cabinet today.
The 2004 RIAS Pirates ensured their name will go down alongside the greats of speedway by becoming the first side to claim back-to-back top flight titles for 16 years and the first Poole side to achieve the feat since 1990 last night.
Wolves, supposedly the second best side in the country, could have finished bottom of the Elite League such was the gap between the two sides at Wimborne Road in their play-off final second leg.
Every member of the Poole camp was remaining tight-lipped over their chances in the preceding week, even after their eight point triumph at Monmore last Monday.
But the side was more than happy to let their riding do the talking.
From Bjarne Pedersen's thrilling heat one success over Mikael Max onwards, it was a champion display - and then some.
The visitors managed to pick up just two heat victories throughout a startlingly one-sided contest, although in Swedish reserve Freddie Lindgren, they did contain a rider worthy of mention alongside any of his Pirates counterparts on the night.
But this was a night for home heroes and not one failed to take his chance to earn the adoration of a frenetic 7,000-strong crowd.
Devastating duo Matej Ferjan and Antonio Lindback combined for the first of three thrilling outings together to seal a heat three 5-1, but the turning point of the entire tie came in the very next race.
Lindgren flew out of the gate and superbly led Ryan Sullivan right up to the final corner before his chain snapped, leaving the Aussie and skipper Magnus Zetterstrom to nip through and take a 5-1 on the line.
It was a sickening blow for the Black Country outfit and one from which they never recovered as Poole romped on, stretching their lead heat by heat.
Lindback and Ferjan brought the crowd to their feet again with a one-two in five, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Pedersen expertly repeated the dose in six and Daniel Davidsson joined in the fun with a heat seven win over Sullivan and Lindgren.
Further successes from Kasprzak and Lindback brought the hosts to the brink and as Pedersen arced around the final corner to take heat 10, the crowd were already on their feet to acclaim the Elite League champions.
Cue scenes of unadulterated joy around Poole Stadium, with skipper Zetterstrom proving most vulnerable to the overwhelming emotion as he broke down in tears.
It was hard to remember there were still five heats to ride, but Pirates, true to form, signed off in style.
Zorro completed a hugely popular heat 12 win, while Pedersen completed a magnificent 12-point maximum and Lindback provided some premature fireworks with an astonishing last-to-second 200-yard burst in heat 14.
The Elite League trophy was handed over, the celebrations continued into the night and the rest of the speedway world wondered how they would possibly keep up.
Same time next year?
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