SPEEDWAY: King can’t wait to race again after injury hell

Huntingdon speedway rider Danny King can't wait to get back on track in 2019. Picture: STEVE WALLER (Image: (C) Copyright Stephen Waller)

The former British champion endured the toughest year of his long career after suffering serious arm injuries in a track crash back in May.

A brief comeback attempt had to be aborted before King underwent surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London in October to treat major never damage.

And following a successful operation, King can’t wait to get back on track in what he hopes will be a much happier 2019.

“It’s the first time I’ve missed that much of a season in my career and it was hugely frustrating,” said 32 year-old King.

“Big crashes are part of the sport and I just assumed my arm would sort itself out after a couple of weeks of rest, but it soon became apparent that I had lost all strength in my left bicep.

“I tried to come back and did a few more meetings, but it got to the point where I simply couldn’t hold on to the bike after a couple of races.

“I couldn’t risk being in a position where I hurt myself or other riders so it was time to get myself looked at.

“It was very strange to be in a situation where I was not in any pain, but a part of my body was not working.

“I found out it was a nerve issue and eventually went to a specialist hospital in London.

“It was a waiting game for a few months to see if the nerves started growing again and repaired themselves.

“I had lots of tests which showed there was no signal from the nerves at all and there was no option other than to operate in October.

“I did start to worry that they wouldn’t be able to fix it and it might affect the rest of my life, but luckily I was in the hands of some very clever and skilful people.

“Everything went well and I’m well on the way to being back to 100 per cent for the new season.

“I’ve been racing since the age of six so the thought of retiring never even crossed my mind.”

King has completed deals with two British clubs for the 2019 season which will get underway in late March.

He continues to race for Ipswich following their promotion into the sport’s top flight – the SGB Premiership.

It will be a fourth successive season – and 11th in total – with the Suffolk club who he will captain.

That rise for Ipswich has opened the door for King to make a move to Sheffield in the second tier known as the SGB Championship.

“I’m raring to go,” added King. “I’ve been training hard from the moment I got the green light from the surgeon.

“I did a few laps at Leicester the other week and it was a proper buzz to be back on the bike.

“There was no reaction from the arm whatsoever and that was really pleasing.

“I like the big, fast tracks with a bit of dirt on them so riding for Sheffield suits me down to the ground.

“And it’s great to able to represent Ipswich in the top league after starting my senior career there aged 16. I love the track, the fans and the management there.”