Less than a week before James Davies was due to jet off to compete in France’s Speedway Youth World Cup, the 15-year-old’s 250cc bike slid out on a corner.
While manoeuvring a turn last Sunday, the rear wheel flicked out, causing the bike to tip, leaving the Craigieburn youngster splayed on the ground with a broken collarbone, and a wasted ticket to Aquitaine in south-east France.
“They replated my collarbone and put six screws in it,” Davies says
But it’s only a minor setback for the budding speedway rider who started riding aged just five but decided to take it seriously almost two years ago.
“Last year, I was half a lap behind them [podium finishers] and now I’m beating them,” the Mt Ridley College year 10 student says.
Speedway racing involves between four and six riders, who compete over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval dirt circuit. Their motorcycles use only one gear and don’t have brakes.
Post recovery, Davies hopes to begin training for next year’s World Cup.
He also wants to finish school this year to begin an electrical apprenticeship before pursing a career as a professional speedway racer in the United Kingdom in his late teens.
