SWINDON Robins captain Troy Batchelor is hopeful that he can shoulder the pressure as he looks to shake off the spectre of his disappointing turn in Malilla at tonight’s Danish Speedway Grand Prix.

Australian ace Batchelor has been plagued by a shoulder injury all season, which he first sustained when he was thrown by from his bike in Swindon’s Elite League opener against Poole Pirates back in April and was aggravated by further crashes at Grand Prix meetings in Warsaw later that month and Cardiff in July.

Recovery has been an uphill struggle for the 27-year-old and his shoulder woes hampered his performance at the Swedish Grand Prix last month, with Batchelor only able to record two points from his five heats.

But after a meeting-free week for the Robins, the Swindon skipper is hoping that some much-needed rest and recuperation will hold him in good stead at the CASA Arena in Horsens this evening (tapes-up 6pm UK time).

“(From July 27-August 2), I raced six out of seven days. It was a bit hefty. But I’ve had five days off this week,” Batchelor told speedwaygp.com.

“(The shoulder injury) is okay on most of the tracks, but Malilla the other day was very tough and I couldn’t hang on. I may as well have gone home after the first race.

“I just couldn’t hold on. I can most of the time. It’s a bit sore. But that was one hell of a track and I was pretty useless. I didn’t look comfortable and I didn’t feel it.

“That’s the way it goes and there’s no whinging. I can’t stop racing in the GPs. You don’t just say ‘I’m not turning up this week’. You do what you can with what you’ve got.”

Last year Batchelor enjoyed a great night at the Danish GP at Parken in Copenhagen, winning six heats and finishing second.

For a similar performance at the new venue in Horsens Batchelor is hoping for a good track, allowing him comfort on the bike so he can take advantage of its pace.

“Hopefully, Horsens is smooth. I need a smooth track and then I’ll be alright,” added the Robins skipper.

“There’s plenty of speed in the bikes. Daugavpils (the Latvian Grand Prix on July 18) was sweet and I’m doing well in Poland.

“I’m confident in the bikes – they’re good. If I can get a nice track to ride on, I should be able to put it among the other boys.”

In his second full season in the Grand Prix series, Batchelor is currently 13th in the standings, 16 points short of automatic qualification for the 2016 campaign with six meetings to go.

Last month, he recorded his best result of the year as he finished third on the podium in Daugavpils in Lativa.