King's Lynn chief Buster Chapman has hailed Danish grand prix winner Kenneth Bjerre's signing as the best in his time at the club.

The 26-year-old joins former Peterborough team-mate Niels-Kristian Iversen at Saddlebow ahead of the Stars' Elite League bow in 2011.

Bjerre finished seventh overall in the global grand prix showpiece this season – winning the Swedish round at Gothenburg in May.

The current Danish national champion was without a British league club for the forthcoming campaign after the Panthers' decision not to race in the top flight.

Chapman believes his new-look spearhead will be more than a match for the very best.

'The last time I was in the Elite League I had the pleasure of signing riders like Henrik Gustafsson and Mark Loram, but for me nothing compares to this,' he said.

'I have watched Kenneth race many times and have become a massive fan over the past few seasons.

He is so fast and like a tiger when he chases other riders down. It puts goose bumps on my skin when I think about the races we have ahead for next season.

'Can you imagine Kenneth and Niels up against Chris Holder and Davey Watt or Freddie Lindgren and Tai Woffinden?

'To be honest it hasn't quite sunk in yet that we have signed Kenneth and Niels and King's Lynn are back in the Elite League. To say I am looking forward to the new season is an understatement.'

Lynn team boss Rob Lyon is confident the rest of the club's septet will now slot into place.

'It was tough deciding how to build the team,' he said. 'But we came to the conclusion that it was right to have one of the best riders in the world at No 1.

'It shows we really mean business this year and have got some extra firepower for heats 13 and 15 as well as the tactical rides.

'Kenneth is a great guy and I am really glad to have him in the team, and now we have the top two in place we can look at getting the rest of the team together soon.'

Bjerre is expected to team up with his younger brother, Lasse, who made his Stars' debut at Premier League level last season – a disappointing campaign that convinced Chapman it was time to move up.

'I do believe if we hadn't done this I would have sold the promotion,' he said. 'It had got to the stage where I wasn't enjoying it that much.

'When you expect to win and you don't, then it isn't enjoyable. We have taken a calculated risk but we had to make sure the deals were right. We have to work out things like sponsorship and we know we have to go out and attract even more. No-one knows what is going to happen.

'I've done Elite League speedway before; I know it can lose money. I've done Premier League before and that can lose money but we feel we've done everything right. The main thing for me is that I feel it is the right move for the club. The club has achieved all it can in the Premier League. Personally, I lost a lot of the buzz last year, it was stale. We hosted the world cup and for every minute of that meeting I had goose bumps. I used to go to Peterborough regularly as well and it was a different sort of riding.'