Andersen tipped to be one of the season’s stars

One of Panthers’ title-winning former stars is delighted to see them back in the top tier of British speedway.
Niels Kristian Iversen.Niels Kristian Iversen.
Niels Kristian Iversen.

Niels Kristian Iversen was a member of the famous Elite League triumph of 2006 – the first of his four seasons with the city club.

The seven-time Danish champion, who returns to the World Championship series this year, has been based locally ever since and will be keeping a close eye on Panthers’ progress in the coming months.

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Iversen, who is not racing in the UK himself in 2019, said: “I think it’s great for the club to be back in the top league. It’s where I feel Peterborough belongs.

Jack Holder is riding for Poole Pirates.Jack Holder is riding for Poole Pirates.
Jack Holder is riding for Poole Pirates.

“I have great memories of my time with the club and the track is one of the best in the country when prepared properly.

“It always creates good racing and I’m hoping to get along to watch a few meetings this year.”

Iversen expects his fellow countryman and Panthers captain of 2006 – Hans Andersen – to be one of the stars of the SGB Premiership season.

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And he is the ideal man to offer his opinion on the city side and their top-flight rivals.

Iversen added: “I think Peterborough look pretty good.

“Hans will be one of the top boys in the league in my opinion and I’m sure he’ll want to win things with Panthers again.

“He had a good season last year even though he was in a Leicester team that struggled and he is good on all tracks. It doesn’t really matter whether it is big or small to him.

“Rohan can be really fast as well and they look like they will always have strong reserves.

“The league looks really wide open in my opinion.

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“Belle Vue are pretty strong on paper and Swindon have a lot of strength in their top three with Jason Doyle, Troy Batchelor and Tobiasz Musielak.

“Poole won the title last year and have gone for younger riders at the top in Jack Holder and Brady Kurrtz who should still be able to improve some more.

“We came close at King’s Lynn last season and myself not riding is the only change to their team so I’m sure they will be competitive again.

“They are always strong at home and it’s just a question of whether they can perform on the road where Robert Lambert is going to have to carry a lot of the weight.

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“Wolverhampton are always good at home as well and they have a strong team.

“Losing Jacob Thorsell to injury is a blow as he’s done a great job for them in the last few years, but bringing Scott Nicholls in certainly doesn’t weaken them as he has so much experience on all of the tracks.

“Ipswich came up with Peterborough and they have a fairly solid team.

“Bomber (Chris Harris) really delivered for Poole last season as they won the league and he’s always exciting to watch.

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“I don’t really see any weak links and that’s the same for almost every team.”

THE TOP-FLIGHT LINE-UP

BELLE VUE ACES

Track: National Speedway Stadium

Team manager: Mark Lemon

Team: Dimitri Berge, Dan Bewley, Kenneth Bjerre, Max Fricke, Jaimon Lidsey, Ricky Wells, Steve Worrall.

IPSWICH WITCHES

Track: Foxhall Stadium

Team manager: Ritchie Hawkins

Team: Jake Allen, David Bellego, Chris Harris, Cameron Heeps, Danny King, Richard Lawson, Krystian Pieszczek.

KING’S LYNN STARS

Track: Adrian Flux Arena

Team manager: Dale Allitt

Team: Kasper Andersen, Thomas Jorgensen, Lewis Kerr, Robert Lambert, Ty Proctor, Erik Riss, Michael Palm Toft.

PETERBOROUGH PANTHERS

Track: East of England Arena

Team manager: Carl Johnson

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Team: Hans Andersen, Ben Barker, Lasse Bjerre, Rohan Tungate, Bradley Wilson-Dean, Charles Wright, one rider TBC.

POOLE PIRATES

Track: Wimborne Road.

Team manager: Neil Middleditch

Team: Nico Covatti, Josh Grajczonek, Jack Holder, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Nicolai Klindt, Brady Kurtz, Richie Worrall.

SWINDON ROBINS

Track: Abbey Stadium

Team manager: Alun Rossiter

Team: Troy Batchelor, Jason Doyle, Adam Ellis, Dawid Lampart, Tobiasz Musielak, James Shanes, Zach Wajtknecht.

WOLVERHAMPTON WOLVES

Track: Monmore Green

Team manager: Peter Adams

Team: Luke Becker, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Ash Morris, Nick Morris, Scott Nicholls, Rory Schlein.