Norweigian ace Rune Holta has raced to the top of Eastbourne's wanted list.

Eagles boss Jon Cook plans to hold talks with Holta about joining the Sussex squad at tomorrow night's British Grand Prix at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Cook said: "He is a world-class rider, so in the present state of play we have got to be interested, although he has turned down everyone else in England."

Cook rates the 29-year-old Holta as currently the best rider never to have ridden in the British league.

Holta, who lives in Stavanger, races regularly in Norway, Sweden and Poland but has always resisted attempts to lure him to England.

Cook admitted: "Mark Loram's manager and agent, Norrie Allen, knows Holta quite well and reckons we don't have a one in 100 chance of getting him. But I am going to try to persuade him that Eastbourne is the place to come to."

Eagles, who are now in serious danger of slipping out of an Elite League play-off place after suffering their sixth de-feat in seven matches at home to Coventry on Monday, are desperate to strengthen the squad.

Holta, who would come into the team on an automatic eight-point average as a Grand Prix rider, would fit the bill ideally for the Arlington outfit, whose previous enquiries for Greg Hancock, Krzysztof Cegi-elski and Tomasz Gollob all drew blanks.

Cook is hoping to coax Holta into joining Eastbourne initially on a short-term agreement.

"I don't think he has ever been offered the chance to see what he thinks of British speedway without any obligation. I would like him to race a couple of matches for us to see whether he enjoys it, then he can decide what he wants to do after that."

Holta currently has only five riders, Tony Rickardsson, Lukas Dryml, Ryan Sullivan, Leigh Adams and Nicki Pedersen, in front of him in the race for the world championship after reaching the semi-finals in both the Swedish Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix in Poland.

His best finish so far is fourth at the end of last year when he got into the final of the Australian Grand Prix in Sydney to clinch 11th place overall in the 2002 world championship.

Holta is currently riding for Polish side Czestochowa, Vetlanda in Sweden and Norway's Outrup club. Czestochowa and Outrup are both top of their leagues.

Cook said: "We are not letting the grass grow under our feet, but there are not many riders out there who are available and would improve the team.

"We know that from experience. It has been a nightmare trying to replace Mark Loram while he has been injured."

Cook hopes to persuade Holta to come into the side while Loram continues to recover from the injury he sustained on Good Friday when he broke his left arm in two places in a crash at Arlington.

"It would give Mark another couple of weeks to get fit, while at the same time we would be looking to the future with regard to Holta.

"If he rode for us now, it would also give us an option on his services for the future, but I hope he would join us sooner rather than later."