Stichauer back for second leg
Czech rider Hynek Stichauer will be back with Wolves for the second leg of the play-off final – but not to ride.
The gutsy Wolves reserve was just starting to find his feet in the Elite League in July when he broke a bone in his back in a Polish League match.
An injury in mid-July effectively sidelined him for the rest of the league season, although the 22-year-old has now made a tentative return to the saddle.
He said: "I would like to be with my English club for the final. I will not be riding, but I would like to help mechanically to do the maximum for the club.
"Monday is the last Extra League meeting in Prague. I have already booked my flight to Birmingham on Wednesday."
Stichauer, a virtual unknown in this country, was a surprise selection by Wolves but club owner Chris Van Straaten had seem him ride in his native country and was convinced that the talent was there.
The rider looked way off Elite League pace when he started and also took a series of crashing falls. But his never-say-die attitude – he invariably jumped back on after a fall and would pound round for lap after lap at the conclusion of home meetings – turned fans' opinions.
He said: "I want to be fit, but it was a bad injury. I didn't want to go back to Wolverhampton before I healed. I had a lot of crashes on the track, so it wouldn't be OK for my back."
