STRICKEN Pirates ace Chris Holder is determined to dispel his family’s fears – as well as his own initial doubts – and make his return to speedway next year.
The 25-year-old world champion, who suffered a broken shoulder, dislocated and fractured hip and shattered heel in a horror smash at Coventry in July, admitted he briefly considered his future after the cruel accident.
But with the Bearwood-based star’s rehabilitation going well, Poole’s popular Aussie confessed the lure of the shale sport was always going to prove too much to prevent him hitting the comeback trail.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Holder confirmed regular physiotherapy sessions are keeping him on course for a full recovery, despite not being able to bear any weight through his hip or heel for the next few weeks.
And the Pirates talisman revealed how the clock froze while searing pain careered through the lower half of his body on that fateful night at Brandon Stadium.
Holder told the Daily Echo: “When I was heading towards the fence I knew I was going to be in trouble. I was fully conscious the whole time and I knew my leg was bad.
“I didn’t know what I had done. I knew something was broken but I didn’t know where, it just felt like my leg was on fire.
“My shoulder was aching a little bit but that pain didn’t really register until later on – it had nothing on the pain in my leg and the ride to hospital felt like it took forever.”
Holder continued: “At the time, and for the first two weeks in hospital, it was tough because I couldn’t move and I’d never been in that position before.
“With the pain and everything else, I thought ‘There’s no way I’m going through this again just to ride a bike, it’s stupid’, but that has all passed now that I’m a bit further down the road.
“I’m definitely keen to keep going.
“I thought about it (quitting) for about two minutes but now I’m just trying to get stuff organised for next year.
“It’s what I like doing, it’s what I was doing when I was young before it got all serious and professional and I want to stick with riding and motorbikes in general – it’s all I know and I want to come back.
“Having a knock like this makes you realise how quickly things can change and that is difficult.
“Obviously, they (Holder’s family) would like to see me stop.
“They don’t want to see me get hurt and once you have had a bad accident, it is hard to get back to where you were.
“But I was world champion last year which was something I always wanted to do.
“Everybody has their injuries, and this was a big one, but hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again.
“I want to get back to the Grand Prix.”
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