Brady eyes title with Aces after his horror crash
BELLE VUE’S Brady Kurtz is aiming for Premiership glory, despite having sufferred a bleed on the brain in a horror smash.
The ATPI Aces’ Australian reared up violently coming out of the second turn at Pardubice in the Czech Republic in early October, flipped over several times before slamming into the fence on the back straight.
That dreadful moment in the prestigious Czech Golden Helmet left him with severe concussion.
But the later diagnosis was even more concerning with confirmation of a bleed on the brain which ended his 2021 campaign.
Kurtz, 25, now dismisses the knock as nothing ‘alarming’ as he and the Aces squad prepare to face Wolverhampton at the National Speedway Stadium on Monday night.
He said: “I hit my head really badly. I’ve had some problems with my head in the past, it really knocked me around.
“I went and got the scans after the crash and there was a small bleed on the brain. It wasn’t anything to be totally alarmed about, but it’s not something you just want to ignore and head straight back to the track and risk.
“Under no circumstances was it something I was willing to risk for any reward, that was basically it.
“I wanted to take the time off. I didn’t ride at all in Australia. I hadn’t been on a bike since the crash in Pardubice until one week before I flew back to the UK for this season. That break was definitely what I needed.
“I wasn’t well for a pretty long time after it.
“I never really thought I wouldn’t come back to normal. You could say I was fine afterwards but there’s always that thing in the back of your mind that if I crash again too soon, is this going to affect me later in life as well?
“It’s not good to have a lot of head knocks. I’m glad I took the time off, it was the right decision.”
Belle Vue have made a strong start to the Premiership campaign with big wins over defending champions Peterborough home and away.
Kurtz has been outstanding this season and believes the Aces can finally take the Premiership title after a 29-year wait.
After the win over Ipswich at the NSS on Monday, Kurtz admitted: “This is maybe the toughest season we have seen in the Premiership for some time. Every team is strong.
“They can all get a win anywhere. We’ve got to stay on top of our game and keep the team together.
“But now I think we’ve got the side that can be dominant at home, we’ve got a lot of firepower.”
● Belle Vue v Wolverhampton, National Speedway Stadium, Monday, June 13, 7.30pm.