Peterborough Panthers star blasts club's number one rider for 'letting the side down' by quitting the club after one lap

And the Great Britain international didn’t pull any punches, admitting: “I’m disappointed in him to be honest, if you want my opinion. He’s a professional, you just don’t do that.”

Three-times World Champion Pedersen reneged on his season-long contract with the Panthers after failing to complete a single lap for the club.

He crashed on the second bend of his first race on his return to the East of England Showground on Monday, March 27, after a six year gap.

He suffered back and hand injuries in the tumble against Ipswich in Panthers’ opening match of the new season and then stunned the management team by telling them he was quitting racing in Britain after just that one start.

Panthersfinally revealed that he had left the club on Wednesday after he was banned for 28 days for withholding his services and that allowed them to use the rider replacement facility for Thursday night’s trip to Leicester.

Under the regulation, any of the remaining six rides can take Pedersen’s place in one of his four programmed races, but that only yielded four points in the five point defeat at Beaumont Leas.

Pedersen had returned to action for his Polish Ekstraliga side Grudziadz on Saturday night when he proved his fitness, becoming, at 46, the oldest rider to go unbeaten in six rides in the top-flight.

Worrall, who was top scorer with 14 points in the 42-47 loss, added: “His excuse that he’s not fit enough to ride here, but he can get a 18-point maximum in Poland is a bit controversial. I’ll leave that for everybody else.

“It’s made our job really hard now to try and get a win. We’ve got to run three or four lads instead of our number one in the number one spot.

“We are struggling to find a replacement. Nicki has let us down there really. I wouldn’t like to be the guy who has got to try and find someone.”

Panthers, who also revealed that they face closure at the end of the season, admit they have failed, so far, to find a suitable replacement for the Dane, despite scouring the world and talking to a handful of riders, all of whom turned down the chance of racing in the Premiership because of other commitments.

It is a race against time for the club as they try to sign a big hitter before Pedersen’s suspension runs out because they will then lose the facility.

Panthers have redruited former rider Michael Palm Toft tro compete in Monday’s meeting against reigning champions Belle Vue Aces at the East of England Arena.