SCUNTHORPE have moved to sign Australian racer Josh MacDonald to fill the gap left when fellow countryman Jake Allen elected to miss UK racing this season.

MacDonald, who rode for Sheffield in 2019, was initially lined up for a team place with Pirates before the Wimborne Road outfit changed their plans.

The Aussie charger had to be replaced by the Dorset club so they could adhere to the new British Rising Star initiative, brought in by the league this season.

The meant MacDonald had to make way for former Leicester man Danyon Hume for the 2021 campaign.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We had to respect his (Allen’s) decision and begin the search for someone to replace him, but I knew straight away that we were never going to find a like-for-like replacement.

“Josh has been doing well in Australia, and I believe he is by far our best option.

“He already has experience of racing in the Championship and we know he can score points around the Eddie Wright Raceway because he did so in 2019 when he came with Sheffield – he’s got bags of potential and I can only see him increasing his average.”