Kolodziej misses FIM Enea Torun SGP of Poland

Polish champion Janusz Kolodziej has been ruled out of the FIM Enea Torun SGP of Poland on Saturday, and his manager Krzysztof Cegielski says the rider has been carrying kidney damage since April.

Kolodziej will be replaced by Grand Prix series first reserve Magnus Zetterstrom, who dons the No.19 race jacket for the third time this season following his appearances in Cardiff and Terenzano.

Leszno rider Kolodziej crashed hard on his Ekstraliga home track in heat 20 of the season-opening FIM Fogo European SGP on April 30.

He has been carrying the internal damage ever since and aggravated the problem when he took another thumping fall in Vetlanda’s Swedish Elitserien home meeting with Vargarna on August 9.

Kolodziej has not undergone surgery, but his manager Krzysztof Cegielski confirmed the rider is being kept in hospital until Tuesday for observation.

The Tarnow-born man hopes to be fit for the FIM Dansk Metal Nordic SGP at Vojens on September 10. And Cegielski is pleased his good friend has finally got to the bottom of a problem, which has had a catastrophic impact on his form this year.

He said: “The crash in Sweden before the GP in Malilla aggravated the injury he got at the GP in Leszno when he crashed. He didn’t break anything, but he destroyed something inside. He could sit on the bike and ride, but he was never 100 percent.

“He tried to ride after the crash in Vetlanda, but he didn’t feel okay and he couldn’t concentrate on riding properly. We all know what the result was. It wasn’t any good and he didn’t feel happy. He was always thinking about the injury, the pain and so on.

“This was the time to go to hospital and check everything was correct, and now he’s going to be much better for having a rest and getting everything right. Afterwards, he can start again and concentrate only on speedway.”

Cegielski admits Kolodziej should have taken some time off after the Leszno round and nipped the problem in the bud.

“It was a mistake that he rode the meetings afterwards in Poland and Sweden,” the former SGP regular said. “We can say that for sure now.

“He got better and started to ride better, but he crashed again and exactly the same thing happened.

“Now he must take a break because he cannot concentrate on speedway and riding. It’s quite serious because the kidneys must work properly.

“I’m sure that he will be fit for Vojens, but I don’t know how long he will take off. It will be one week or something like that.”