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Forsberg aims to get thumbs up

16/ 5/2008

BILLY Forsberg, pictured left, one of Belle Vue’s trio of injured riders, has a secret weapon in his race to recover from a double fracture of a thumb – his Play Station!

The Swede had the plaster cast removed on Monday and he is targeting a practice spin this weekend, although it may be an optimistic aim because he admits the injury is still very sore.

He is using his Play Station to help restore mobility in his hand as well as pass away the time.

Forsberg has been told he will need six weeks to recover from the injury which he suffered a fortnight ago, but he is aiming to be back before that.

He has been nominated as a reserve for the Swedish Grand Prix in Gothenburg on 24 May .

Aces’ chief David Gordon said: "He doesn’t intend being out of action for six weeks, but he can’t rush back because the thumb is crucial in gripping the handlebars."

Lukasz Jankowski and Steve Boxall were both seeing specialists this week about their respective shoulder injuries.

Jankowski has been told to stay at home in Poland until he is 100 per cent fit to resume.

The One51 Aces’ management don’t want a repeat of last week’s match against Eastbourne when he tried to ride only to pull up in his first race and withdraw from the meeting.

It probably cost Aces the match, and the management left him in no two minds that they weren’t happy.

Gordon added: "Lukasz is seeing a specialist to see what progress he has made.

"He won’t be considered for a return to the side until he has proved to us that he is completely fit. He knows he did wrong and he knows how we felt about it."

Boxall was due to have a shoulder operation in France this week and is expected to need a three-week recovery period.

Aces will check on the injury situations later in the week before naming a side for next Monday’s Elite League match against Poole at Kirkmanshulme Lane (7 30).

Meanwhile, Aces are rallying round Danish new boy Jonas Raun who has been signed to replace axed Pole Michal Rajkowski.

Raun came over at very short notice, so captain Joe Screen has loaned him a race suit, and Jason Crump has offered to help him on the mechanical side.

Raun scored two points on his debut and they proved crucial as the Aces won a tight match against Elite League leaders Swindon 47-43.

Team manager Chris Morton said: "We bought in Jonas Raun from Denmark at reserve. Although he is short of match practice you could see that there was something there.

"I am not going to make any great predictions about him because we must give him time to settle, but I am confident that if we can get him right we will have some real strength at reserve."