ONE LEAGUE TOO MANY

Wednesday 28th December 2011, 14:50

Three-time world champion Nicki Pedersen feared spending a full season with King’s Lynn next year would have hurt his chances of returning to the World Championship rostrum.

The Danish international turned down an offer to join the Stars and they have completed a rock-solid team without him, featuring World Under-21 champion Maciej Janowski and Danish internationals Niels-Kristian Iversen and Mads Korneliussen.

The Odense-born man felt some Elite League meetings would have been the ideal preparation for the season-opening FIM New Zealand SGP in Auckland on March 31.

"I didn’t want to shoot myself in the foot. It would have been nice to start in Britain, but it would have been too hectic halfway through the season."

- Nicki Pedersen

But he said: “I didn’t want to shoot myself in the foot. It would have been nice to start in Britain, but it would have been too hectic halfway through the season.

“You have to remember there are 12 rounds in the Grand Prix. You have to be focused on all of them and not too tired halfway through the season.”

He added: “We looked at it and tried to see if we could fit Britain in to start off with. We were just looking at doing a couple of months.

“It wasn’t down to money. I knew I wasn’t going to make money. I just wanted to start off earlier.

“They wanted me to do more meetings and I could see I was going to be too busy from July onwards. I’d have also needed a couple more guys (mechanics), bikes and vans. It wouldn’t have been ideal.”

Pedersen last raced for King’s Lynn in 2001 and 2002, but he still has great memories of the Norfolk Arena a decade on.

He said: “The only place I would have loved to come back to was King’s Lynn. It’s a lovely track and I like it. I know I have a lot of fans there and the promotion has always treated me well.

“It could have been a win, win situation, but I have to be very careful and look very seriously at this season. I need to be focused for the Grand Prix. I don’t want to have a schedule that’s too hectic and make problems for myself.”

Despite rejecting a club deal, the Stevenage-based star is still keen to play his part in open meetings and challenge matches in the UK in March to ensure he is race-sharp for his visit to Western Springs.

He said: “There are so many testimonials and farewell meetings in Britain, so I just need to get hooked up with all the meetings possible before the first Grand Prix.”

Pedersen won the Ben Fund Bonanza at Rye House in March 2010. Asked whether he fancied a return to the charity event on March 11, he replied: “Absolutely, it’s on a nice track at Birmingham, so I can’t see why I couldn’t get hooked up for that.”

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