Crash tore my hip to pieces but I will race again

A speedway rider whose hip was "torn to pieces" in a crash with a teammate says he is determined to return to racing as soon as he can.

Jack Smith was competing for the Derbyshire-based Buxton Bulls at home against the National League Nomads when he collided with Connor Coles from his own team in April.

"Unfortunately, when we both tangled, I went head over the bars, with my leg trapped in the bike, and it's torn my hip to pieces," said Smith.

"It was horrible, my bike's flipped over the top of me, and it could have landed anywhere, and it's hit Connor in the head."

Coles suffered bleeds to the brain and was in a coma for eight days afterwards.

His recovery is going well, but he has decided to give up racing because he has a wife and young family.

"It's only because I've got a wife and kids that need a father and the doctors have said 'another bang to the head would kill me'. So it's not worth the risk," he said.

Smith, 27, suffered what is called a cam, or growth, on the top of his thighbone, affecting his hip socket and causing pain when he walks.

Despite his injuries and his teammate's decision to quit the sport, the risks do not put him off.

He is so keen to return to competing again, he has decided to pay privately for a hip operation, funded through a GoFundMe page, to speed up his recovery. Surgery is set for Sunday and the funding will also go towards rehabilitation.

The operation on the NHS would have meant a 12-14 month wait, he added.

"Every year in speedway there are really bad crashes. There were a few massive ones in Poland this year, where there's been a few riders airlifted, and through the years, obviously riders have passed away or been paralysed.

"We all sort of know the dangers of it, but I suppose it's like anything, once you get the addiction to it and you enjoy it and you enjoy winning, it's hard to stop."

Speedway riders use 500cc, lightweight motorbikes that don't have brakes - the riders rely on sliding on shale and dirt tracks to slow down.

The Buxton Bulls compete at Hi-Edge Raceway in the National Development League (NDL) that is the third of three tiers.

His family are no strangers to accidents like this because his father, Andy Smith, was British Speedway Champion for three consecutive years in the 1990s.

"He had a lot of breaks in his career," Smith added.

"He broke his back a few times, his neck a few times, his legs, his knee exploded when he was 18 - so he's had a lot of setbacks, a lot of crashes, he lost three pints of blood at Coventry once.

"He's had some horrendous accidents and crashes and always came back from it."

When Smith does make his return to the track, he will not be thinking about his crash.

He said: "If you're thinking about that stuff on the day of racing and you're thinking of it at the track, then it's probably a good time to stop because then you're obviously overthinking about what could happen instead of thinking about the enjoyment out of it.

"Even though it's a really dangerous sport and bad things happened and have happened to a lot of riders, the thrill and the adrenaline and the enjoyment you get out of it is something you can't really explain - and that's what obviously keeps us all coming back."

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