PETERBOROUGH Speedway can regrettably confirm that Nicki Pedersen has left the club.
Nicki crashed out of our opening meeting against Ipswich just over a fortnight ago, and although he has subsequently returned to racing in Poland, he has taken the decision that he cannot continue in the UK.
Nicki has sent us the following message: “It was a short time with you guys at Peterborough Panthers.
“I have to pull out for now and resign, the body is just not fit enough with my injury for the technical British Speedway tracks.
“I hope you can find a replacement very quick and move on and focus on the main thing, winning the British league.
“It was a pleasure to meet you and I want to wish you all good luck in 2023.”
In conjunction with Nicki’s announcement, and given the speculation concerning several club issues over recent months, we would like to fully and transparently clarify matters for supporters.
It is a great shame that Nicki has had to leave. We understand and respect his reasons and wish him well for the remainder of the season.
Nicki was very much the marquee signing we wanted to help Peterborough enjoy a great season, and we are now madly scouring the speedway world as we look to bring in a signing to replace him.
We have already spoken to half a dozen very high-profile riders, who at this moment have all turned down the opportunity due to commitments in the Grand Prix or elsewhere in meetings abroad. Several of those riders have indicated that the situation may change later in the year.
We will continue with this process as we look for the best replacement for Nicki that we can possibly bring in.
There has been much speculation about the future of the Panthers, and it is important to state from the outset that we are 100 per cent committed to the 2023 season. We have been granted a facility for Nicki, and after the last two years booking guests is not something new to us!
Over the winter there was an on/off scenario whereby the club may have changed hands. However, given the uncertainty over the longevity of Peterborough Speedway, it was understandable that a sale did not take place.
That said, everybody involved in that process is still involved with the club and wants to take it forward in the best way possible. Keith Chapman remains as the owner of the club.
In terms of the future, as things stand at present, very sadly this will be our last year. We have a contract with the Showground until the end of October, and at this stage it is highly unlikely that this will be renewed.
We have spoken to several people regarding the potential for a new site, but the club would need significant help with that as it would essentially involve building a new stadium.
Our intention is to carry on fighting for as long as possible to keep Peterborough Speedway in Peterborough, but as it stands now, the speedway will cease in October.
We can fully understand the fans’ disappointment both with this news and the Nicki scenario, but we can only stress that the club needs you more than ever at this moment. We are not giving up, so please do not give up on us. As a management team, we feel it is best to be completely open and honest with everyone and explain the situation, however difficult things are, and we will continue to do this over the coming weeks.
We do realise the winter was quiet in terms of news, but there has been an enormous amount of work going on behind the scenes, and sometimes you cannot jeopardise that work by ‘saying nothing’ just for the sake of it.
We will continue working hard to secure a replacement for Nicki and fighting for the continuation of speedway in Peterborough, but this is the truth of how things stand today.
We remain committed to having the best season we can, and if it is to be our last season we want everyone to have fun, make memories and enjoy the racing at one of the best tracks and finest venues in the sport.
We had a fabulous crowd on opening night, for which we are very grateful, and we will update everyone as soon as there are any more developments.
Finally, a big thank you to our main sponsors Crendon Timber, City Auction Group and PurpleRock for their backing, which is hugely valued and vital to the continued operation of the club.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Showground on Monday when we host Belle Vue.