Ipswich Witches returning star Nico Covatti wondered if his speedway career was over after last season’s horrific crash at Redcar.
The amiable Argentine, 29, saw his 2017 year in England shattered, along with his left wrist, after his accident in April.
Hurtling round the boards at the north-east track, Covatti flew into the air fence at high speed. So badly broken was his wrist, it needed a skin graft.
It left the Coronel Pringles-born racer in a bad way, with some experts fearing the worst.
However, he is back for the Witches in 2018 after promoter Chris Louis stuck loyal to his man, despite Covatti hardly racing for the club last year.
And Witches fans will be delighted to see the popular all-action racer back.
“It was a bad crash, a very bad crash,” Covatti said.
“I went back home and some people were saying it was the end of my career. It was that bad.
“I lost the whole season in England, so it’s nice to be back after what some people had said.
“Never did I stop trying to get back to fitness and in August last year I did a meeting in Italy. All winter I have been working hard to get fit for this season and now we are ready.”
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Covatti, who like team-mate Danyon Hume became a father in the winter, says he is happy to be back at Foxhall.
“When Chris (Louis) called me I was happy because Ipswich is a fantastic club,” he said.
“They are fantastic people and it was important for me to be back again. I have already had a meeting in France, so I’m looking forward to the season.”
Louis has stuck loyal this season with much of his starting team from 2017, new German Michael Hartel being the only new rider from the starting line-up 12 months ago.
“There are two parts to having the same team back,” Louis said.
“They respect each other and get on well. Had we had six or seven riders that were not getting on it would have been pointless to bring them back as a unit.
“That wasn’t the case and we are building a bond and relationship with the fans and individual riders.
“Fans come to support Ipswich as a team but they have always taken a shine to one or two riders and when those riders are not there the next year it is difficult to find that bond again.”
The Witches season starts on Good Friday, 2.15pm, when Lakeside visit Foxhall.
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