Speedway: King's Lynn Stars legend to return for the rest of the season
He's hoping to give the club a boost
King's Lynn hero Robert Lambert is to make a sensational return to the King's Lynn Stars for for the final six matches of the Premiership season.
The Norwich-born star has agreed a deal to rejoin the Stars and will come into the team in time for Monday’s trip to Belle Vue.
He will then make his first appearance in four years at the Adrian Flux Area in the return fixture against the Aces next Thursday (August 24).
That will pitch him against the club with whom he enjoyed a short spell at the end of last season as the Manchester club took the league title.
Lambert was a constant factor in the Stars’ Premiership line-up from 2014-19 having first raced for the club as a 15-year-old for the Young Stars in 2013.
Since stepping away from regular British racing, he became Speedway Euro Champion in 2020, helped Great Britain to Speedway of Nations glory in 2021, and is now an established member of the Grand Prix field.
He is currently placed eighth in the 2023 standings with three rounds remaining, and is still in with a realistic shot of a top six finish.
Lambert comes into the Stars’ line-up as a replacement for Artem Laguta at No.1 with four of their remaining six fixtures being away from home.
Laguta has scored consistently at the Adrian Flux Arena since joining the club in June, but matches on the road have presented more of a challenge.
And with captain Nicolai Klindt and Thomas Jorgensen on the sidelines with long-term injury, the news comes as a welcome boost to all at the club.
Lambert confirmed the Stars had been in contact with him earlier this year, but at that stage his schedule featured league racing in Poland and Sweden as well as the Grand Prix, and he could not commit to the UK.
The position has now changed with Eskilstuna Smederna not making the Swedish play-offs, and the timing of co-promoter Dale Allitt’s call this week proved crucial.
"The plan is to score lots of points"
Lambert said: “I’ve seen the scores this season and I know King’s Lynn haven’t been having the best of years.
“But even though the play-offs aren’t in reach it’s still a great opportunity for me to come in and give them a bit of a supporting boost towards the end of the season.
“The plan is to score lots of points, as I was doing the last time I rode for them! I wouldn’t want to show my performance any other way, I want to do my best for my original club and the club who I’ve raced with the most in the UK.
“If we can win some matches and re-light that spark in the team and the club, then that’s the job done.
“With Sweden finished and not getting to the play-offs over there, I literally landed back in Poland this week and was driving back, and Dale called me – and all the circumstances came into line that I could come back and race, and feel comfortable with the logistics as well.
“I’ve still got three GPs left which are very important ones, so I didn’t want to interfere with them and mess up my routine, so I made sure all the logistics worked out before I said 100 per cent yes, and now I’m delighted to be here.”
Allitt admits it will be a special moment to see one of the Stars’ all-time favourite riders back in the fold for the closing stages of what has been a troubled 2023 campaign.
"Next Thursday should be a very special night"
Whilst he makes his seasonal debut at Belle Vue on Monday, the return fixture at the Adrian Flux Arena next Thursday is one for all home fans to relish.
Allitt said: “We’ve always kept in touch with Robert as a club, and from earlier in the year it was always a case of logistics with his other leagues and the Grand Prix.
“But once an opening appeared in his calendar, it was a case of making contact with him and doing a deal – and now it’s a chance for our fans to see him race here for the first time since 2019, and it’s great to have him back.
“Robert is loved by everyone at King’s Lynn. He’s done so much from his first meetings back in 2013 in the National League, and it’s been a pleasure to watch his development into one of the best riders in the World.
“We have six matches remaining, a couple of them at home, and when you look at the teams we are facing, the prospect of Robert taking on Dan Bewley and Brady Kurtz (Belle Vue) and then Jason Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov (Ipswich) around King’s Lynn is very much one to look forward to.
“It’s quite amicable with Artem, and we thank him for his contribution. By his own admission he’s found the smaller tracks more difficult, and the option to bring back a King’s Lynn asset in Robert was one we couldn’t turn down.
“Artem came in with all the best intentions on his side and has been very professional to deal with, but we just felt at this time we had the opportunity to bring Robert in – and that, to me, was a no-brainer to give the fans something at the end of the season.
“In the case of Nicolai, words can’t express the impact he’s made in the last two months, at a time when the club has been fighting for its survival.
“As captain Nicolai has been absolutely outstanding, and on track I don’t think anyone could argue that he’s been anything other than phenomenal. He’s a massive, massive loss to us, and unfortunately on his average there’s no way of replacing him.
“I can’t shy away from the fact that this has been one of the most disastrous seasons we’ve suffered, but I’ve always said it’s the fans’ club, and I’d like to think they will come out in force to see Robert.
“On a personal level I’ve been looking forward to it ever since he left, and next Thursday should be a very special night.”