The future of the Lions injured rider Patrick Hougaard has been resolved following confirmation from the Dane that he is taking a break from British Speedway for the foreseeable future.
The Rapid Solicitors Lions have been relying on guest riders to complete the team since Hougaard was side-lined following a broken thumb sustained in a crash at Coventry in April but his immediate future has now been decided as Leicester’s Promoter David Hemsley explains: “Many people have been wondering why there has been little information coming out of the club about Patrick Hougaard and a likely return. Well I can now reveal that Patrick is taking a break from British Speedway and specifically Leicester. I understand that his decision is based on the fact that whenever he has a big crash it always happens whilst riding on UK tracks and we all know that Patrick has sustained some serious injuries over here in his time. Of course his latest accident happened whilst racing for Leicester at Coventry and after that he clearly felt he needed a break. We all hoped that following a complete recovery from his hand injury Patrick would change his mind and return to the team. Unfortunately, our hopes were unfounded and whilst we respect Patrick’s decision to give the Elite League a miss we are resigned to the fact that he has left us in a difficult position so in the short term we have applied for a facility to continue with a guest at number five in the team.”
Hougaard made six Elite League appearances for the club and achieved his best score in the home fixture against Lakeside in April and had this to say about his decision: “I have had quite a few injuries in the last couple of years and I feel that I have struggled a lot to regain my form after these injuries, and therefore I have decided to step away from the British League for a bit of time to get my form sorted. The reason for that is I want to get back up to speed before riding in the UK again. The Elite League is not easy and if you are not one hundred percent you won’t be scoring the points’ that’s asked for. Also with me riding as a heat leader I need to be sharp and that will take a bit of time. So I think not only is this the best option for me but also the best option for the team. I have to assure you that it has nothing to do with Leicester Speedway. I have been treated really well and there are no complaints at all. It’s purely because I don’t want to be lacking in confidence and I want to do a good job for the team when I’m there.”
Swindon v Leicester Preview
Leicester travel to Swindon on Thursday for their re-arranged Elite League match against the Robins after the original fixture that was due to take place on 22nd May was postponed because of a waterlogged track. With Simon Stead riding on the same night for his Premier League club, Leicester have engaged Sam Masters as a guest and the club will cover for Hougaard with either a guest rider or they will share out his four rides between his team members. Swindon sit one place above Leicester in the Elite League table and with three former riders in the Lions line-up there is an optimism of a close result. “Jason, Mads and Lasse have had plenty of laps of the Swindon track so we are hoping that their knowledge will give us a boost” added Hemsley.
Teams
Swindon: 1. Peter Kildemand, 2. Simon Gustafsson, 3. Nicolai Klindt (Guest), 4. Dakota North, 5. Troy Batchelor, 6. Nathan Greaves and 7. Steven Worrall
Leicester: 1. Jason Doyle, 2. Sam Masters (Guest), 3. Mads Korneliussen, 4. Lasse Bjerre, 5. Guest or Rider Replacement, 6. Max Clegg and 7. Tom Perry
