Kozza Smith’s speedway season is over after he suffered several broken bones in a horrific high-speed crash, Glasgow team boss Stewart Dickson confirmed today.
Smith, 27, was involved in a terrifying third-bend pile-up, which saw him hit the fence before he was struck by a bike, at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium in the meeting with Scunthorpe yesterday.
The popular Australian was taken to hospital and has undergone treatment for a broken femur in three places and cracked ribs, as well as damage elsewhere on his body.
It’s a devastating blow for the Tigers and Smith, who had begun to hit top form in recent matches.
Dickson said: “He has a broken femur – he’s broken the bone in three places – and he also has five cracked ribs. His hip has been damaged as well.
“His season is over. He was just getting an upturn in form but it’s a very cruel sport that way.”
Despite his ordeal, Smith is said to be in good spirits.
Replacement
The Tigers must now begin the difficult task of searching for a replacement for Smith, who had joined up with the Tigers after a lengthy winter battle to secure his visa to race in the UK.
Dickson said: “We have 7.54 to replace Kozza, at the moment, and we will have that up until James Sarjeant’s new average.
“We have the away match at Edinburgh on Friday, and seven days later at Scunthorpe he’ll have a new average. If we don’t find someone in that time, it’ll go down to 6.60, so we would lose just under a point.
“But I can’t put any deadlines on it, because it’s going to be tough. The likes of Redcar and Newcastle, who have had injuries, would have gone out and got these riders if they were out there.
“And with us being a Sunday track, I don’t know where we’re going to get them from.”
Although overshadowed by Smith’s horrendous crash and injuries, yesterday’s meeting ended 57-33 in favour of the Tigers – with Richard Lawson scoring an 18-point maximum.
Dickson added: “I’m very pleased to see Richard Lawson coming back to form. I actually thought they would have been tougher opposition than they were.
“It’s three points and result-wise, it ended off a good week for us. But obviously the main focus is Kozza and the bottom line is that we will need to find a replacement of some sort, which isn’t going to be easy.”
The thoughts and best wishes of all at Glasgow Tigers are with Kozza and his family at this difficult time.