Preview: Belle Vue v Poole

The No1 Carpet Cleaning Poole Pirates will use rider replacement for injured Richie Worrall when they travel to Belle Vue tomorrow (7.30pm).

Worrall and team-mate Nico Covatti collided in heat eight of Thursday’s clash against the Aces at Wimborne Road and both men were taken to Poole Hospital.

It was later confirmed that Worrall had broken his ankle in four places, with the St Helens racer waiting for swelling to subside before he goes under the surgeon’s knife.

Covatti, meanwhile, suffered damage to his ribs in the crash but did not suffer a collapsed lung as first feared.

The 31-year-old remains in hospital and will also miss the trip to Manchester, with Luke Becker coming in as a guest.

In a third blow, Pirates reserve Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen remains signed off with illness, with Jye Etheridge stepping in at the National Speedway Stadium.

Co-promoter Danny Ford said: “Having three riders out is far from ideal as Belle Vue is a tough place to go at the best of times.

“But the main thing is both Richie and Nico are largely okay as it was an extremely nasty incident.

“Clearly we may have to look more for more long-term personnel depending on how quickly they can return to racing.”

The Aces have parted ways with American Ricky Wells and drafted in Finn Tero Aarnio ahead of tomorrow’s SGB Premiership clash.

Aces: Max Fricke, Dimitri Bergé, Dan Bewley, Steve Worrall, Kenneth Bjerre, Tero Aarnio, Jaimon Lidsey.

Pirates: Jack Holder, Rider Replacement for Richie Worrall, Nicolai Klindt, Josh Grajczonek, Brady Kurtz, Luke Becker (guest), Jye Etheridge (guest).

Picture: Taylor Lanning.