THE Lakeside Hammers have confirmed that number one target Rune Holta will not be racing for the Club for the rest of the season.

the rider was advised to reduce his racing commitments as the result of a shoulder injury, which he has been battling with for some weeks.

Holta, had initially been keen to race for the first time in League racing in the UK for the Hammers, and saw it as an excellent chance to sample the British racing scene and stay sharp for the continuing Grand Prix Series as the Polish and Swedish campaigns come to a close. However, those plans were thwarted after he consulted his specialist last Friday.

The Hammers co-promoter Jon Cook said: "I spoke at length with Rune on Friday and he was genuinely disappointed not to be able to join us.

“He very much fancied joining up for our title challenge and I think it’s a sign of the progression of the club that we were this close to getting the rider to the UK.

“We have said we will keep in touch and it’s possible we will try to entice Rune to the UK at sometime in the future. He's been a pleasure to deal with and I wish him well in remaining in the GP Series."

It’s now back to the drawing board for the Hammers team boss as attempts to bring over Matej Zagar and Pepe Protasiewicz have also failed in both cases due to clashes with the club’s remaining fixtures, including the play-off itself in the case of Zagar.

Cook continued: "We still have a few options open to us and will look to move for another target once the Polish play off picture is clearer but in the meantime we need to focus on the job of guaranteeing ourselves second spot in the league. We can do that with two wins this week. I am keen to avoid Ipswich in the play-off's as I think if each of their riders hit form together they are the strongest of the four remaining teams, so I hope we can nick something on Thursday to keep them in fourth place."

The Lakeside Hammers race at home this Wednesday, when Belle Vue are the visitors and have changed their guest from Oliver Allen to Lewis Bridger, allowing the young Eagles rider to be available for two of the teams remaining three fixtures, if required. Allen will now be available to guest for the Hammers on September 17 in the rearranged match against Wolverhampton following last Friday’s rained off meeting against the Wolves.