Stars finding it difficult to sign new riders

King’s Lynn promoter Dale Allitt admits moving into the rider market is more difficult than ever – with continued complications over foreign commitments.

The Stars are known to be considering all options for team strengthening after a torrid start to the season, although exactly which of their current line-up could be under threat is difficult to establish.

All have had their highs and lows so far, but the side as a whole have been lacking top-end strength which was exposed in their defeats to the likes of Sheffield and Ipswich.

Adding a seventh club to the Premiership in 2023 was good news for the variety of the league, but several riders still have to give priority to meetings in Poland, even when those are re-arranged at short notice – and that also means there are few options available to come in.

Allitt said: “When we got to the AGM it was obvious there weren’t enough riders for seven teams, and the only way that the league could survive was to do a deal with Poland.

“As it stood you couldn’t have any Ekstraliga riders in the UK – so we did that deal, but unfortunately there was a price to pay, and that was the fact that we had to allow Poland to have priority on rain-offs on Mondays and Thursdays

“There are going to be matches where we are going to miss riders, and that’s not just King’s Lynn, that’s every single team.

“Brady Kurtz missed Belle Vue the other night because he was riding in Poland, so it’s not a great compromise, but it was the only way to fulfil the league.

“From a management perspective we are exploring every possible avenue, and nothing is off the table, but there are very few opportunities to bring people over, and to bring in people who want to come to the UK.

“In my opinion it goes back to too many teams and not enough riders, and that’s no way a sleight on any team – it’s just the situation for everybody.”

The Stars are next in Premiership action next Thursday (May 11) after an unexpected break from league racing this week.

Their scheduled home clash with Ipswich last night (Thursday) was postponed due to damage to the pits gate fence at the Adrian Flux Arena during the stock car meeting on Bank Holiday Monday.

A further change to the schedule concerns the Premiership Pairs competition, which is now to be staged as a one-off event rather than the planned three meeting tournament.

It was set to get underway at Wolverhampton on May 15 with subsequent rounds at King’s Lynn and Ipswich, but the adverse weather in the early weeks of the campaign has forced a re-think.

The centrally located Leicester will now stage the event on June 29, freeing up the other two dates for potential re-arrangements, with the league some way behind schedule at this point.

One man pleased with the lack of racing will be Stars skipper Josh Pickering, who is awaiting the results of a private MRI scan on the shoulder injury he sustained in a crash at Berwick nearly a fortnight ago.

Initial x-rays confirmed no broken bones but the Australian himself was convinced there was damage, and whilst the club want him back as quickly as possible, an indication over his likely time out of action would also assist their planning.