PETERBOROUGH finally race back into Showground action tonight with the Elite League visit of Birmingham (7.30pm).

PETERBOROUGH finally race back into Showground action tonight with the Elite League visit of Birmingham (7.30pm).

The Readypower Panthers have been without a home fixture since way back on Good Friday, April 6, as a result of the un-spring-like weather conditions which have forced a host of postponements.

But the next fortnight promises plenty of action, and Panthers have a vital run of three meetings in four days as they also make trips to highly-fancied Poole and Swindon this week.

Despite their lack of home racing, and the fact that there was a tinge of disappointment about only taking one point from Coventry on Friday, Panthers have done enough on the road to remain well-placed in the early Elite League standings.

They’re currently sixth on nine points, only three adrift of the play-off places and with home matches in hand on the whole of the rest of the Elite League.

Lasse Bjerre and Richard Lawson receive the nod in the doubling-up positions for the clash with the Brummies, Lawson having scored well over the weekend in Workington’s aggregate KO Cup victory over Scunthorpe at Premier League level.

The Brummies, meanwhile, are led by former Panther star Danny King, and following a change of ownership over the winter King and Ben Barker are the sole survivors from last year’s team.

But they have recruited Danish ace Bjarne Pedersen to race at No.1, and they also track the in-form Josh Auty at reserve, who has proved to be one of the most powerful lower-order men so far this season.

Panthers gained a point from their visit to Perry Barr earlier in the month but Birmingham compensated for that and a home defeat by Swindon with a thumping 57-33 win at basement club Belle Vue last Monday.

Panthers co-boss Jan Staechmann said: “The boys are absolutely desperate to get a home meeting in. It’s been such a long time since we raced at the Showground. We’ve got home matches in hand on everyone and now we need to take advantage of them.

“I know Birmingham had a very big away win last week and we’ll certainly be trying to make sure they don’t do that again!”