By John Walsh

Last updated 10:18, Saturday, 26 July 2008

Crocked speedway star Daniel Nermark has a cracked bone in his neck and another in his knee – and could miss the rest of season.

Kauko Nieminen

X-ray examinations at a Cleveland hospital showed up the damage after the Workington Comets No1’s horror crash against Redcar Bears.

Doctors have decided they are old injuries and were not caused by his high-speed collision with the safety fence which left him dazed and battered on the track for 20 minutes.

But Nermark, right still needs an operation on a new problem – damaged knee ligaments – which means he misses the Premier Fours at Derwent Park tonight and tomorrow’s League match at Mildenhall. Comets owner Keith Denham stayed at hospital with his number one rider until the early hours on Friday and was up-dated by Nermark’s mechanic on the way home.

“It was the worst crash I have ever seen on a speedway track. I feared the worst when I saw him lying face down on the track, and he hadn’t moved.

“He was knocked out for three minutes and only started to come round gradually, talking in Swedish.

“He was away to hospital in half an hour and when I left him he was smiling again but he’s obviously shaken up.

“They are going to do another scan on his neck but the doctors seem convinced the crack is an old injury.

“But there appears to have been substantial ligament damage in the knee which needs the operation and sadly that look as if it could be the end of his season.”

Charles Wright will come into the side for tonight’s meeting at Derwent Park with John Branney staying as the Comets reserve.

Workington were hot favourites to add the Fours title to the Best Pairs crown won by Nermark and Kauko Nieminen at Somerset last month.

The action at Derwent Park starts at 7pm with Workington up again Somerset, Sheffield and Edinburgh in group one and King’s Lynn, Newcastle, Reading and Scunthorpe contesting Group two.