Stars rocked as Polish rider controversially quits club

Lynn Stars have lost a third rider in a season beset by injuries after Pole Tobiasz Musielak controversially quit the club.The 30-year-old, who was Lynn’s number one rider, claims he is not fit to race in England – although he will continue to compete in his home country.Musielak crashed while in Stars action in May, breaking his collarbone and damaging ligaments in his left ankle.His return to action in Poland resulted in the club being granted a 28-day facility for Musielak, who felt he was not able to race in the UK during his recovery.It was anticipated he would be fit enough to return at the end of that period. However, the former Wolverhampton, Swindon and Sheffield rider says his ankle ligament damage is serious and will require surgery in the winter.He feels that he can manage to ride one meeting per week in Poland, where tracks are not as tight or technical, while having physiotherapy to alleviate problems in the meantime.For the club, it is a hard pill to swallow after already losing Vadim Tarasenko earlier in the season and also Nicolai Klindt to a season-ending injury.A spokesman said: “We have to accept Tobiasz’s decision and look to the future. We don’t want to see him put at risk if he feels he cannot ride safely but our disappointment centres around the general principle that if a rider is not fit, that is typically the case across the board. “We are not medics but when any rider takes to any track, wherever that is, they are signing to say they are fit. “We do not know if there are any other influences at play, and we certainly hope not, but the answer to that cannot come from us. We just have to get on with handling the consequences of the situation as it stands.“Our facility for Tobiasz expires on July 14, after which we will only have 75% of his average to work with when booking guests.“We have been scouring everywhere for alternatives since the club was informed. We have approached at least 19 riders in that time without getting over the line but rest assured, we will keep trying – we have to. “The only other hope we have is that the authorities look at this, see how we have lost riders and, if nothing changes between now and then, extend the facility for Tobiasz based on the situation being beyond our control, the efforts we have gone to in order to source a replacement and the fact that there is simply nothing more we can do.“We want to be competitive for obvious reasons but it is not just about our position in the league and our fanbase, this impacts on other clubs, their fans and their businesses. A weaker team going anywhere is not good for anyone, from a business or sporting perspective.“Hopefully our continued efforts will bear fruit but if not, Lynn Speedway will seek and offer pragmatic solutions that serve the best interests of the club and the sport.”