IPSWICH Evening Star Witches' new number one speedway rider Hans Andersen and Peterborough's top rider Lee Richardson are on a collision course.They race against each other at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday night when the fur could fly with both having a point to prove.

IPSWICH Evening Star Witches' new number one speedway rider Hans Andersen and Peterborough's top rider Lee Richardson are on a collision course.

They race against each other at Foxhall Stadium on Thursday night when the fur could fly with both having a point to prove.

“Lee is a menace on the track, the British Nicki Pedersen,” stormed Andersen after last night's controversial Sky Bet Elite League televised meeting at the East of England showground.

“I have a score to settle with Hans,” said Richardson. “He left me no room and I still don't know how I held on when he cut in front of me in heat 13.”

Ipswich will have to equal their biggest win of the season if they are going to wrestle the aggregate bonus point off the Panthers at a supercharged Foxhall Stadium on Thursday. They were well beaten 55-40 in a televised meeting at the East of England showground last night.

And although tempers will have cooled by the time the tapes go up in the return fixture, there will certainly still be no love lost between Andersen and Richardson.

Andersen, who went above Scott Nicholls in the Ipswich averages from today, rode at full speed to pass Richardson in heat 13 and the home rider touched the Ipswich man's back wheel.

Somehow he stayed on board, with Nicholls having to take avoiding action. The Ipswich skipper pulled to a halt and then did not go out to partner Andersen in the final nominated race after team manager Mike Smillie had originally named both riders to fill the Ipswich berths.

Andersen is known for his no-nonsense approach and to be fair, if a few more Ipswich riders had had a bit more fire in their bellies, they may have avoided their worst result of the season.

However, Andersen will upset opponents if he does not leave enough space in a sport where riders have no brakes and travel at fast speeds.

Andersen thought he did nothing wrong and was scathing about Grand Prix rider Richardson. After riding against his former club.

Andersen said: “The bottom line is would Lee have left me any room in a similar situation?

“I don't think so. He is a menace and if you ask other riders on the circuit they will tell you that he is the English bad boy, the English Nicki Pedersen.

“It is a laugh that he goes on national television and tells the world that he is going to nail me in heat 15. It did not concern me in the final race as I can look after myself.”

Richardson, who has guested for Ipswich this season, refuted that he said that he intended to 'nail' Andersen when interviewed on TV after heat 13.

He said: “I am not surprised Scott Nicholls pulled up. Hans came in front of me hard and left me no room. I ran up his back wheel and thought I was coming off at maximum speed and was lucky to escape serious injury.

“It made me very angry and I made my feelings known.

“At the end of the day I want to race another day and who knows one day I might get a chance to get my own back.”