PURTON rider Darryl Ritchings will return to speedway racing with National League Coventry Storm in 2015.

Swindon Robins asset Ritchings, 20, who suffered serious injuries after a crash while riding against Coventry's Bees at the Abbey Stadium in April, has been reabilitating ever since but recently got back on a bike and has previous National League experience with Dudley and the Isle of Wight.

He becomes the Storm's first 2015 signing and manager Laurence Rogers said: “Darryl attended training schools with me at Newport, and he actually made his debut for the Hornets three days after his 15th birthday and got a paid win in his first race, although he unfortunately then ended up in hospital after he got T-boned

“Naturally last year was a very unlucky one for him but he’s desperate to bounce back, he’s practicing hard and he’s in the gym at 7am. He’s super-keen with a really supportive family, and I think in some people’s thinking he’s a forgotten man – but I’ve seen the videos of him when he hired the Isle of Wight and he looked back to his best.

“Alun Rossiter (Swindon promoter) gave permission very quickly for us to talk to him, so our thanks to him for that, and then it was only a few minutes for him to agree to come and ride for the Storm.”