LAKESIDE Hammers will be out for revenge when they entertain Ipswich at Arena-Essex Raceway tonight (8pm).
The Suffolk side caused a major shock when they won at Purfleet on Good Friday evening and the Witches remain the only time to beat the Hammers on their own track this season.
However, their hopes of repeating that trick were hit by the loss of veteran Chris Louis, who is expected to be out of action for most of this season after suffering shoulder injury at Foxhall Heath against Eastbourne.
In his place, the visitors have drafted in guest Edward Kennett while the captaincy passes to former Hammer, Australian Steve Johnston.
Meanwhile, Lakeside make a change in tier riding order with Joonas Kylmakorpi dropping down into the reserve berth for the next month while Lubos Tomicek moves into the main body of the team.
Co-promoter and team manager Jon Cook explained: "Joonas has taken some time to return to his best form after his serious shoulder injury of last year but in the past couple of meetings, he has looked to have rediscovered his form and confidence.
"A spell at reserve for a few weeks should suit him and he could prove a heavy scorer for the team and provide a major influence which boosts our chances of maintaining our top-three spot in the league."
Cook has no concerns about having to move Tomicek into the main body of the team to accommodate the Finn.
"Lubos is a very under-estimated rider and I believe is one of those who reacts favourably to responsibility," he added.
"Obviously he will find it a step-up but I have every confidence he'll handle the situation.
"Although the absence of Louis is a big loss for Ipswich, we certainly won't be under-estimating them because we saw how effective they could be around our circuit in the Craven Shield earlier in the season," Cook concluded.
The Hammers currently occupy second place in the Elite League behind pacesetters Swindon.
The pair will face each other in Wiltshire for the second time this season - the Robins won the opener 53-40 on April 10 - on Thursday, May 15.
Lakeside: Andreas Jonsson, Leigh Lanham, Adam Shields, Lubos Tomicek, Jonas Davidsson, Ricky Kling, Joonas Kylmakorpi.
Ipswich: Edward Kennett, Steve Johnston, Robert Miskowiak, Piotr Swiderski, Jarek Hampel, Tobias Kroner, Chris Schramm.
l PRIOR to the senior match with Ipswich, there will be a six heat, four-a-side, junior Hammers challenge match between Lakeside and Arena Essex, starting at 6.45 p.m.
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