DARRYL Ritchings may have only got back in the seat of a speedway bike for the first time this week, following his horror crash, but he has already set himself the ambitious goal to be the number one racer in the national league next season.

The 19-year-old left Blunsdon in the back of an ambulance following his horror heat two crash against Coventry on April 3 and was put into an induced coma for 12 days before making a miraculous recovery.

On Thursday the young rider took his first tentative steps back on to the shale of the speedway track down in the Isle of Wight and after performing a wheelie he said he felt like he had never been away.

“It was good, if a bit odd,” he said.

“I’ve done some Moto-X but it was good to be back on a speedway bike to be honest.

“I went into the first corner and it was fine, to be honest I haven’t been off my bike and yesterday it all came back to me.

“As soon as I got out of hospital I wanted to get back on the bike, it has been a horrible year for myself just watching and it has not been fun.

“I think it was harder for my family than it was for myself.

“I was in a coma for 12 days and I didn’t have to witness me laying there and my dad is still emotional to this day about it, so I do feel sorry for them but it is what I do and they are going to back me all the way.

“This year was meant to be a massive year for me I had something like 77 meetings and only managed four so it was a bit of a shame, it was going to be a big year but it didn’t work out so I have set myself a target for next year it is to be number one in the national league and to be knocking on the door for premier.”

The speedway season has come to an end for Swindon Robins after they lost out in the Elite League Play-off semi-finals to Coventry, and the break gives Ritchings the chance to get himself fully fit for the new season.

Team manager Alun Rossiter said that he was delighted to see the Purton rider back on the bike but has admitted it is too early to say whether he will be in the Swindon team next year and that he does not want to rush the rider back.

After such a horrific accident you would not blame Ritchings for being a bit reluctant to jump back into race action but the young rider appears to be un-phased by what happened.

“You can’t think about the crash, not in speedway, it is the horrible side of speedway,” added Ritchings.

“I have broken both ankles, my hip and my collar bone, it is one of those things that you put to the back of your mind and it is your job at the end of the day.

“I didn’t think I would be on a bike this year, not given the state I was in when I got out of hospital.

“It wasn’t good but I have had a pretty good recovery and I think it is down to all the training I did over the winter to be ready for the season, I think that helped my recovery a lot.

“The season is at an end now it is just a matter now of training every weekend and making sure I am 100 per cent ready for next season.”