LEICESTER will be forced into a team change for next season after Ellis Perks made the call to sit out next year.
Perks is expected to focus on rebuilding his finances after losing money in the sport in recent seasons.
The club have failed to agree terms with him for 2021 and are now turning their attentions elsewhere.
Boss Stewart Dickson said: “I can’t pretend otherwise, I find this extremely disappointing.
“There have been certain things said by Ellis which I’m not happy about but I am not here to go into too much detail.
“I understand he has to make ends meet like everyone else but it’s disappointing the way this has all come about.
“We are proud of the fact that, as a club, we gave him the opportunity to ride for both our teams in 2019 and he did a fine job.
“As a club we would like to thank Ellis for his efforts in Leicester colours, both with the senior team and the National League team, and wish him well for the future.
“We are actively looking for a replacement, we have ideas about where to go with this and we’ll announce news once we have an agreement ain place.”
Perks, meanwhile, said: “I am not saying I am retiring but I am not going to come back for the sake of it.
“I had to sell some kit to pay off debts. Like most people I have been stuck in the UK without speedway and had to get a job.
“I did my qualification during lockdown and see myself being over here until the early part of next year, minimum.
“It is probably the toughest decision I have ever had to make but I couldn’t keep owing thousands of pounds every year.”
