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PEDERSEN: 2023 INJURIES FORCED ME OUT AT KROSNO
01/05/2023
Triple world champion Nicki Pedersen insists it was the back injury he suffered at Peterborough in March that forced him out of Grudziadz’s trip to Krosno on Sunday afternoon – not further problems with his pelvis.
Pedersen’s 2022 season was ended by a badly broken hip and pelvis – injuries which could have halted the 46-year-old’s career and saw him undergo surgery in both Poland and Denmark.
Incredibly, he made a full recovery and got back on track in time for the new PGE Ekstraliga season. But the Danish team manager suffered a heavy blow to his back when he made his Peterborough debut against Ipswich on March 27.
The injury prompted him to opt out of the UK, and Pedersen called an end to his meeting at Krosno, admitting he couldn’t cope with the heavy track conditions.
But the Danish team manager, who was keeping a close eye on his national-team riders in the pits at the Tehnix FIM Speedway GP of Croatia last Saturday, insists the problem is not the injuries he picked up last year.
Posting on Facebook, he wrote: “My pelvis that I broke and the injury I sustained back in June 2022 has actually been fine – no problem with this.
“But after having yet another crash in Peterborough in March, I still have severe pain in my back. When the track is very heavy, I struggle to be strong and flexible enough in my back and leg. My pain is just too much.
“That's why I had to withdraw from the meeting last night. Fortunately, tracks are usually in really good condition around the pole line and well prepared.
“But Krosno is a newly promoted club to the Ekstraliga. They have had new stands built over the winter and they have had a lot of heavy vehicles driving on the track, so they have therefore not been able to get the track well prepared and packed yet.
“There has not been enough heat in the weather yet for this, but I wonder if it will get better now that summer is on its way. I'm going to have to fight back with strength to these kinds of challenging tracks that I've raced on before.”
