Daniel Spiller: “A bitter pill I have to swallow”

First things first: the injuries Daniel Spiller sustained at the Long Track Grand Prix in Scheeßel are less serious than initially feared. However, racing is off the cards for the 27-year-old, who lives in Nuremberg, for the time being. The MSV Herxheim club rider was actually due to compete today at the European Grass Track Championships in Aduard (Netherlands, starting at 5 pm), but he will be absent from that event, as will the British rider Andrew Appleton, who also crashed in Scheeßel.

What happened?

At the Grand Prix on the 1,000-metre-long high-speed Eichenring track, Spiller had already been leading the field by a wide margin in Heat 12. But then the British rider Jake Mulford crashed and the heat was abandoned. In the re-run, the German didn’t get off to a good start; coming from the inside in turn one, he hit a rut, struck the rear wheel of Frenchman Anthony Chauffour with his front wheel and crashed heavily. His motorbike was sent flying into the air, crashing down onto the airfences and from there into the safety zone.

After lengthy treatment by doctors and medical staff on the track, the emergency helicopter that had been called out was able to fly away again without the rider. Spiller was taken by ambulance to Rotenburg Hospital for examination.

What injuries were diagnosed?

Although he was initially diagnosed there with one fractured and two compressed vertebrae, as well as a broken right arm, this diagnosis was subsequently retracted the following day following further examinations regarding the spinal injuries, the Spiller team has now announced on Facebook.

On Tuesday, Spiller flew from Bremen to Munich and from there back to Landshut, where he was examined by specialists at the local hospital. According to Spiller, it initially emerged that his arm was not broken, but that his left thumb was. However, a third examination then revealed that his right arm did in fact have a minor fracture, though this did not require surgery.

What does the future hold for Daniel Spiller?

“It’s still unclear at the moment how long it will take before I can race again,” said Spiller, “that’s a bitter pill I have to swallow, because I believe I could finish in the top five of the World Championship. I don’t yet know whether my season is over or not.”