Some of the world's top riders will be in action when speedway returns to Arlington Stadium this weekend.

The line-up for Sunday's Dean Barker Testimonial Meeting is one of the strongest ever assembled in Sussex and includes two former world champions and five Grand Prix riders.

A big crowd is expected to see a 16-strong field battle it out for the £1,000 winner-takes-all prize.

Among the leading contenders are ex-world title-holders Mark Loram and Billy Hamill, plus three more GP men in Leigh Adams, Scott Nicholls and Lee Richardson.

Other big guns include former GP ace Joe Screen and Billy Janniro and there is another return to the track for ex-British Grand Prix winner and Overseas champion Martin Dugard.

Eastbourne boss Jon Cook said: "It's a fantastic tribute to Deano that so many top riders want to appear in his testimonial. I can't remember an individual meeting at Arlington with such a high quality line-up."

Barker has been rewarded for going for the earliest possible date in the speedway calendar rather than opt for staging the meeting later in the season when many of the top riders would have been committed to meetings in Poland.

Who will win is an intriguing question. Adams, who was the subject of the winter's biggest move when he joined Poole to link up with world champion Tony Rickardsson, might start as the favourite.

He finished fourth in last season's world champion Grand Prix series, was third in the Elite League averages and has since won the Australian championship for a record seventh time.

Loram, the Eastbourne No. 1, and American champion Hamill were eighth and ninth in the world, while Nicholls and Richardson finished first and second in the British championship. Richardson also triumphed at Arlington last year in the David Norris testimonial meeting.

Loram was magnificent for Eagles last season and the main reason why the Sussex outfit topped the league and lifted the Knockout Cup, but he is recovering from a bad injury sustained when he crashed in the British final.

With many of the competitors taking to the track for the first time in five months, there will be a few cobwebs to be blown away and that could make the outcome even more exciting and perhaps unpredictable.

Janniro is one rider who could upset the more fancied contenders, while former Eagle Paul Hurry sprang something of a surprise by winning the Martin Dugard testimonial meeting at the beginning of last season.

Barker, who was the only Eastbourne rider to reach the final of both the Norris and Dugard meetings, said: "Almost anyone could win it. It's who is up for it on the day."

Eastbourne eyes will be on new Swedish signing Peter Ljung, although it is a big ask for him to make an impression against such powerful opposition.

There are 16 qualifying heats, with the top eight riders progressing to the semi-finals and the first two from each semi-final going into the final.

As well as the speedway, there will also be 1,000cc sidecar and quad bike events, and the prizes will be presented by model Sammi Jessop. Racing starts at 3.30.