Peterborough Panthers sign a former multiple world champion, and a club colour change to herald a new era

The World Champion of 2003, 2007 and 2008 is the final piece in the team-building jigsaw for the Crendon Panthers this season – and he’s stressed that his motivation is as high as ever.

He will line up for a side which has undergone a refresh both in terms of personnel and look, with the club’s traditional red and black colours replaced by an all-new design of predominantly purple and white.

Pedersen last raced regularly in the UK way back in 2011, when he also rode for Panthers and achieved an average of 8.61 which put him in the top five of the individual standings in the old Elite League.

He was due to join Sheffield in 2020 only for the season to be cancelled due to the pandemic, whilst last year he was in sensational form for his Polish team Grudziadz only to suffer season-ending injuries in June, including a broken hip and pelvis.

But having returned to full fitness, he now feels the time is right to add the UK back into a schedule which also includes team management duties for Denmark – with his long-standing friendship with Panthers owner Keith Chapman a key factor in concluding the deal.

Pedersen said: “Buster and me, and also his wife, we’ve always had a relationship. I’ve always respected him, and he’s always respected me.

“I even remember four or five years ago he came to Torun for the GP, we hadn’t seen each other for many years, and they just love me to pieces.“I’ve always done my work for them, I’ve never let them down and I’ve got such a respect for people like that.

“When Peterborough came up I said to him, ‘give me a couple of days, let me think about it, because I need to feel good in my stomach.’ I needed to sleep on things, and every day I was waking up thinking ‘this might be interesting.’

“I feel I can do it, I want to do it, and I’m pretty sure I can excite a few fans over there with myself both off the track and also on the track!

“One of the feelings that was good in my stomach was the impression of what I can bring to British Speedway and to the fans, especially the Peterborough Panthers fans.

“I still have many friends there, people who I know and remember, so there will be bums on the seats as we always say, and good racing!

“But also off the track the fans can have a chat with me, and those are the things you can’t buy for money, so hopefully I’m going to put some positivity into everything. We want to lift the Peterborough Panthers to the next level.”

Chapman has overseen a roller-coaster ride since taking ownership of the Panthers in 2019 and moving them back into the top-flight of British racing.

The clear highlight was the Premiership triumph of 2021, and he believes the Pedersen signing is a massive boost for the club especially at a time when their long-term future remains unclear.

He said: “I’m so pleased Nicki will be riding for Peterborough. I’ve known him for many, many years, ever since he first came to England, I have a lot of respect for him, and it’s going to be good to work with him.

“What you get with Nicki is a racer from the heart, and that’s what I love about him. He’s a lovely guy off the track, but on the track he’s a different person, and he’s great to have around.

“I’m pleased he took the time to talk to us and consider us, and in the end came forward and agreed. I know how busy he is this year, and there were non-stop phone calls and messages to each other, but it was worth it in the end.

“You have to keep pushing things, and with the mutual respect that exists between us, we are both honest with each other about what we expect.

“We know this may be our last season at the Showground, and if that’s the case I want to go out with a bang there and do the public proud, and this hopefully will push us on to do that.

“Nicki has always been so good with the public, and that’s what’s always impressed me about him. I’ve seen him at GPs talking to fans outside the pits, and in towns, and he’s never unapproachable.

“The only difference is when he’s racing because that’s when his head is in gear for that – he’s not difficult, he’s just the ultimate professional, and I’m very excited to bring him in.”

Pedersen will line up at No.1 in a team which shows four changes from last year with Niels-Kristian Iversen, Richie Worrall and Ben Cook also coming into the side.They join Benjamin Basso, Hans Andersen and Rising Star Jordan Jenkins who remain from the 2022 line-up, but whether new or returning riders, the overall look at the East of England Arena will be very different.

Incoming promoter Michael Tomalin admits he fully understands there will be some initial scepticism to the major colour change – but he insists this is all part of the big picture, and of looking to plan for beyond 2023.

Tomalin said: “What people have to remember is that Michael Tomalin has been a Panthers supporter for 50 years, so I’ve been a ‘red and black attack’ supporter, and I’m as intrigued as anybody to see how this goes.

“Panthers have always been red and black, and I understand that. It’s not that I’ve just walked through the door and demanded the change, far from it, but what we all felt was that the club needed a new chapter.

“Particularly in the last year we felt it had gone stale, so we wanted to re-brand and re-energise, and that was everybody, not just me. Everybody was of the opinion that we needed a fresh look and a fresh feel.

“Naturally, because the meetings were taking place at City Auction Group in Peterborough, there’s quite a bit of purple there, so it was brought to the table, and all I said was it had been very successful for me as a very clean-cut colour.

“It’s a big move, but we felt that if we were going down that route of re-energisation, this is the time to do it. I’m as ‘red and black’ as everybody else, but I do understand what the thinking is.

“It’s not that we’re trying to do things for just one season, we’re trying to look at the future and this is part of the package that we all felt was needed.

“We all had the opinion that last season was just a bit flat, and that’s one thing we want to avoid this year – and it’s certainly started off anything but flat!

“We’re doing a lot with the whole ‘supporter journey’ this year from when they come into the stadium, and there will be a lot more going on than just the speedway. There’s nothing wrong with the show, but we can do more to support it, and that’s what we plan to do.

“The re-brand is a decision made by all of us, we all think it’s the right time for a fresh chapter, and let’s bounce back from last year. We won it in 2021, then we were wooden spoon winners last year, now let’s go back and win it again!”

PETERBOROUGH CRENDON PANTHERS 2023: Nicki Pedersen 8.61, Niels-Kristian Iversen 7.59, Benjamin Basso 6.81, Richie Worrall 6.15, Hans Andersen 4.93, Ben Cook 4.06, Jordan Jenkins (RS).