Panthers team boss not happy with the referee

The club’s last two home fixtures in the SGB Premiership have been controlled by a trainee – Simon Humphrey-Kennett - working under the guidance of a senior referee.

But Johnson was left unhappy with the handling of Panthers’ derby draw against King’s Lynn on Monday when one race took five attempts to complete while Lasse Bjerre was left motionless at the start of another heat when not ready to race.

“A local derby in front of a big crowd with so much at stake is not the place for a trainee referee,” insisted Johnson.

“It’s very tough to run meetings of this importance and I think there are other places that learning could be done.

“We had no issue with it when we were in the SGB Championship last season, but there is so much more on the line now in the top league.

“One minute the tapes were going up as soon as the green light came on and before the start marshal had even walked away - then in other races the riders were being held a fair while.

“There has to be consistency and we saw the problems it can cause in heat six when that isn’t there.

“In the end Rohan Tungate’s engine has blown apart at the fourth attempt to start that race because it had got too hot.

“He’s now five grand out of pocket because the referee was calling the riders back to the tapes far too quickly.

“We were telling him we needed extra time between the restarts as the bikes – especially the clutches – were getting really warm, but we didn’t get it.

“It wasn’t just a case of refereeing decisions affecting us either. King’s Lynn had Erik Riss still laying on the track after being knocked off in the first bend in heat eight and the two minutes were already on for the re-run.”

The British Speedway Promoters’ Association told the Peterborough Telegraph that the Speedway Control Bureau is responsible for refereeing appointments.

The focus for Johnson and Panthers now switches to an away clash against Belle Vue on Monday.

The city side have already been beaten home and away by the Manchester club in the SGB Premiership Supporters’ Cup, but Johnson is in positive mood ahead of their latest visit to the National Speedway Stadium.

“We could easily have got results in both meetings against Belle Vue but for mechanical issues,” added Johnson.

“We lost by six points at home and 10 points up there, but I believe we can get a lot closer on this occasion.

“It’s a big, fast track that should suit us down to the ground and I’m hopeful we can continue our decent start in the league.”

Panthers then go to Swindon for a televised clash on May 6 with their next home meeting following on May 9 when Belle Vue visit Alwalton.