SPEEDWAYWIGHTLINK Islanders’ skipper Nick Simmons got back on his bike just days after the horror crash which saw him, and Dudley Heathens’ rider Kyle Newman, battered and bruised last week.
Simmons and Newman collided in the first lap of the 13th heat of the match, which was abandoned as a result, although the score of 42-32 in favour of the Islanders stood.
In the crash, the pair hit four posts and took out the electrics to the stadium. While Simmons was able to walk back to the pits, Newman was taken to hospital for x-rays. No bones were broken though both riders were left very bruised by the incident.
Nevertheless, Simmons was back in action at the National league Riders Championship on Saturday at Rye House Speedway, where he managed four points from his five rides.
He said: "I’m feeling ten times worse. I didn’t do too well but glad that I rode."
Simmons is now taking a well-earned rest, after the Islanders’ Tuesday night home meeting against the merged Sheffield/Scunthorpe Saints was cancelled due to bad weather.
l At the Dudley match, injured Islander John Resch was a welcome visitor and was presented with a cheque for £250 by the Islanders’ Supporters Club, who had been busy raising funds following his horror smash in May.
He told fans: "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at the Island for what they have done for me."