PETERBOROUGH chief Ged Rathbone has hailed the loyalty of Simon Lambert.

The 26 year-old will focus solely on racing for Panthers at Premier League level in 2016 after pulling out of a deal to race to double-up with King’s Lynn in the Elite League.

Lambert's recent capture by Lynn created up to nine possible fixture clashes during the season – a situation which would have left Panthers in a pickle due to Lynn having priority over the rider's services.

And, while the two clubs were prepared to work together on the matter, there is no scope within the rules to allow that to happen.

Rathbone said: “It was not an acceptable situation to be without an influential rider for more than a quarter of our fixtures.

"Even though ourselves and Lynn would have happily worked together to try to ensure Simon missed fewer Peterborough meetings, the rules are in black and white.

“We have to put Panthers first and we spoke to Simon at length about our concerns.

“We have been loyal to Simon and he has opted to repay that loyalty by committing to race for Peterborough this season.

“It highlights just how much he loves the club and racing in a Panthers suit. He was the real star of last season and he has also attracted some terrific sponsorship in his time with us.”

Lambert piled close to one-and-a-half points on his starting average despite seeing a fine 2015 season interrupted by a serious shoulder injury.