Screw loose: Imanuel Schramm faces another pelvic operation

On 8 August, Imanuel Schramm suffered a violent crash in the international sidecar class at the Grasbahn race in Bad Hersfeld, in which he fractured his pelvis at both the front and back; it was repaired with a plate and several screws.

On 14 August, the new owner of the trade magazine *Bahnsport aktuell* discharged himself from hospital on his own responsibility and has since been spending most of the day lying down, as he is not yet able to sit properly. Schramm can only get about on crutches or with a walking frame, as he is only allowed to put a maximum of 20 kilograms of weight on his pelvis.

As SPEEDWEEK.com learnt from him, his recovery is not proceeding without complications. “The last X-ray showed that a screw in the front plate had come loose,” explained the Swabian from the Argental valley. “Now the plate is almost useless because the pelvis has shifted apart slightly again. The examination with Dr Hermann Locher in Tettnang lasted two hours. He’s an expert in this field and has decided that, for the time being, everything will stay as it is because I have very strong muscles and am also very flexible. My next check-up is on 14 September, when a decision will be made as to whether the screw needs to be removed. It’s just bad luck that it came loose. It has nothing to do with overexertion or incorrect movements. I hope it’ll be fine as it is, because I really don’t fancy going back to hospital.”

Imanuel Schramms Becken wurde mehrfach verschraubt

Foto: schramm

Driver bears responsibility for two

Although Schramm knows that he still has a few gruelling weeks of recovery ahead of him, involving physiotherapy and muscle-building exercises, he and his co-driver, Lene Laise, have already decided that they want to race again next year. “I draw my motivation from the fact that I have a new co-driver who, despite her serious accident, is determined to carry on and is fighting for it,” emphasised Schramm. “In team sports, it’s always the case that both are responsible for each other. We’ve now had two absolutely stupid accidents in quick succession. At the race in Melsungen, we just wanted to see if we were still mentally up to it. What worried me most was whether I could continue to take responsibility for someone else who’s riding with me. That was a major sticking point for me, but we talked about it openly. And we’ve put precautions in place, such as living wills and powers of attorney – setting out who’s responsible for what and when. I think it’s important that the other person knows where you stand on this, should anything happen.”

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“I’m not going to go into every duel next year like I’ve lost my mind,” stated the 52-year-old Immel. “We want to have fun together; I think some sidecar riders are over-motivated. My aim is no longer for us to win a title, though of course we want to be among the frontrunners to some extent. If we don’t become European champions, then so be it.”

Imanuel Schramm darf die Hüfte sechs Wochen lang kaum belasten

Foto: ivo schützbach