BJARNE Pedersen's hopes of a return to the Grand Prix series hit the buffers in unusual fashion after his van collided with a deer.

The front of Pedersen's vehicle sustained damage in an accident on the morning of the GP qualifying quarter-final at Abensberg on Monday.

The veteran Dane therefore did not make it to the German venue and saw his world championship dream disappear as despite wet conditions, the meeting went ahead.

It was a cruel end for Pirates' recent recruit, who had qualified for the quarter-finals after winning an all-Danish qualifier last month.

Pedersen earned a place in Speedway European Championship qualifying as a result of the triumph at Esbjerg but elected to opt out.

Meanwhile, Krzysztof Buczkowski missed out on qualification for the European Championship proper after falling short in the semi-final in Slovakia.

The Poole loan star racked up 11 points in Zarnovica on Sunday but was denied progress by the narrowest of margins.

Freddie Lindgren (13), Anders Thomsen (13), Shamek Pawlicki (12) and Tomas H Jonasson (12) all roared through.

Andriej Karpov (11), who won one more race than Buczkowski, progressed as a reserve.

Earlier this month, Pirates heat leader Hans Andersen secured his spot in the European Championship in Mureck, Austria.