Kim Jansson Benefit Meeting

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Taken from today's EADT:

 

Paralysed Jansson has no regrets

02 October 2008 | 12:00

 

ELVIN KING

KIM Jansson has no regrets about devoting his life to speedway despite being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

 

A special meeting for the 27-year-old former Ipswich Evening Star Witches rider takes place at Foxhall Stadium tonight (start 7.30pm), and his parents are coming over for the occasion.

 

Jansson was paralysed from the chest down following a crash in his native Sweden in August, and he said today:

 

“I would do everything the same all over again.

 

“I have no regrets and have loved my life. I will work this out.”

 

And typical of his approach to life he says that he is more fortunate than some.

 

He went on: “In a strange way I feel lucky. There are people in hospital with me who can only blink.

 

“And those who have seen my crash say that I went head first into the fence.

 

“I could easily have broken my neck, instead of my back.”

 

Jansson says that it is the support of so many people that has helped him come to terms with his injuries.

 

This week he spent a few hours at his parents' house to acclimatise to life once he leaves hospital, and he says that his thoughts tonight will be centred on England.

 

“It has been tough some days, and the support I have received through cards, messages and financial help has helped me get through,” said Jansson.

 

“I have to stress this, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everybody in Ipswich from the management and officials to the team and, most importantly, Witches supporters.

 

“I have to accept what has happened and keep on fighting, and it is too soon to decide what my future will be.

 

“After a few weeks you can tell after this type of injury how you are going to spend the rest of your life, and there are not going to be any improvements for me.”

 

Jansson is not bitter over his accident, but feels it is sad that it needed an injury like his to improve safety regulations at Swedish League tracks.

 

“Air fences are going to be installed and this is a start,” he added.

 

“You should not have to risk your life every time you race a speedway bike. It is a sport, after all, and the potential sacrifices should not be that high.

 

“In Formula One, they have horrendous crashes, yet the drivers just walk away these days. Similar safety provisions should be made in speedway. When you hit trouble on a speedway track there is no outlet. You have no way of reducing the power quickly. You have no way of reducing the impact.

 

“But I have been racing motor bikes for 20 years and it was my destiny that I would end up like this.”

 

Jansson, who hopes to come over to Ipswich before long, is grateful for the riders taking part tonight, and in particular Witches favourite Chris Schramm, who is to have most of his body hair shaved off after being inundated with 'sponsors' pledging money for Jansson.

 

From the original teams for tonight's meeting, Tobi Kroner (broken finger) and Chris Harris (rib injury) have been replaced by Leigh Lanham and Olle Allen.

 

Two-times world champion Jason Crump has also been forced to withdraw late from the Jansson select side but Scott Nicholls returns to Foxhall to complete the Evening Star Witches side.

 

[spanner47 336]

Full line up with amendments in my siggy.

 

Entrance is as per normal £15 etc., and season tickets are valid apparently, obviously accompanied by a large donation , to any of the Kim things on sale.

 

Thanks Badge

The witches management should donate £15 for every season ticket holder that comes in for nowt tonight, it's there fault that they couldn't be arsed to put on enough meetings to fulfil the minimum requirements for the ticket. They appear to have chucked this meeting on in the middle of all the finals, hence a poor field, kim is deserving of much better. I just hope the fans still turn out in force.

[crazysue 613]

Taken from the BBC Sport pages

 

Ipswich win Jansson benefit match

 

Scott Nicholls was the meetings top scorer with 13+1

Ipswich Witches beat a Kim Jansson select side 51-44 in Thursday's benefit meeting at Foxhall Stadium.

 

A good crowd turned out to support the former Ipswich rider whose career was ended when he was paralysed from the waist down in a crash in August.

 

Scott Nicholls top scored for the home side with a paid 14 while Ollie Allen was the visitors best performer with a 10-point haul.

 

Australian Rory Schlein beat Nicholls to the Champion of the Evening award.

 

Kim Jansson's parents Jani and Zaida both travelled from Sweden for the meeting.

 

Zaida updated BBC Radio Suffolk on her son's progress: "He's a lot better now because he has a new goal, he sees a new future and has ended one phase of his life and started the next one.

 

"He is going to train in the hospital and then be home Friday, Saturday and Sunday and that will go on until Christmas.

 

"He is learning how to live in a wheelchair and how you can cope by yourself.

 

"I can't believe how many people turned up, it's remarkable so I'm so happy for him, he didn't know he was so popular here."

 

Link to the article is Here which also includes a radio interview.

 

Also this one taken from the Evening Star

 

Witches win in last-heat decider

03 October 2008 | 09:15

 

ELVIN KING

KIM Jansson's benefit speedway meeting at Foxhall Stadium last night went down to a last heat decider before the Evening Star Witches came out on top.

 

The cold weather may have kept some people away, but there was still a sizeable turn-out to salute the former Witches star who broke his back in a crash in his native Sweden in August and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

 

The racing was interesting if not always fully competitive with Rory Schlein and Robert Miskowiak slamming home early 5-1's and Scott Nicholls showing his class in this company.

 

With Jason Crump's Polish duties ruling him out, and Chris Harris having to miss out through injury, Jansson's side was not as strong as at first hoped, but they did hit back in heat six when Coventry's Oliver Allen won wearing the black and white helmet cover - and David Howe racing from the back to finish behind him.

 

But generally Ipswich were in charge, although Carl Wilkinson, riding a re-conditioned engine, slid off rather unexpectedly going down the back straight on the opening circuit of heat seven.

 

Special dispensation for this meeting allowed the Jansson side to use a tactical rider for the second time in heat 11 with ex-Witch Danny King doing the honours.

 

But Allen appeared unaware that his team-mate was riding for double points as he did not slow to let him pass on the run-in - after Schlein had gone too wide and slid off on the second bend of the third lap.

 

Another 5-1 followed in the next race with a comfortable victory for Krzysztof Stojanowski and late replacement Nick Simmons - and all of a sudden with the three nominated races to follow in this six-man team event Jansson's side was just three points adrift.

 

A 4-2 to Ipswich in heat 13 was cancelled out in the next race, leaving the meeting to be decided by a last heat decider.

 

Nicholls and Miskowiak made the best break and sewed up the meeting for the Witches side with a 5-1 - with Stojanowski suffering a puncture when third on the third lap.

 

Mike Smillie, who was team manager of the Evening Star Witches during Jansson's six years at Foxhall, was back in that role assisting Jansson's former landlord Clive Webb in running the Jansson side.

 

And another reminder of the past at Foxhall was the sight of long time start marshal John Fitch sharing the duties with Peter Ingram, who was initially held up in traffic.

 

Nicholls pocketed £250 for the fastest time of the night sponsored by Jansson's former sponsor Gordon Holloway, of Parkside Transport, and the same company sponsored the Champion of the Evening to the tune of £500 for the winner - with a cheque for £250 going into the Kim Jansson fund.

 

Nicholls, Schlein and Miskowiak won their heats; with David Howe also making the final as the fastest second-placed rider in the three heats.

 

The full throttle final was won by Schlein to complete an entertaining, meaningful meeting staged for an entertaining, meaningful man.

 

Jansson's parents flew over from Sweden to help present the prizes.

 

n Ipswich have announced their two final meetings at Foxhall Stadium this year - with a four-team tournament involving young riders on Thursday, October 16, and the traditional season-ending 16-Lap Classic a week later.

 

 

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This is marvellous news, taken from today's Evening Star:

 

Special meeting raises £8,000 for Kim

 

 

ELVIN KING

 

 

STRICKEN speedway rider Kim Jansson has benefited to the tune of £8,000 after a special meeting was held for him at Foxhall Stadium last Thursday.

 

And the young Swede, who is confined to a wheelchair after breaking his back in a racing accident in his home country in August, has expressed his thanks.

 

“I want to thank everybody who turned out, and for their generosity,” said Jansson, who rode for the Witches for six years up to 2007.

 

Gillian Webb, who along with her husband Clive is one of the main organisers of the rider's benefit fund, said: “I took several rucksacks containing £8,084 to the Nationwide Building Society in Felixstowe on Friday,” said Mrs Webb.

 

“And I was grateful to Gemma Castell at the Building Society for spending the time to count all the money out.

 

“I would like to add my thanks to everybody, from the Ipswich management, the riders, sponsors and fans who helped turn last Thursday into such a successful occasion.

 

“And the fund raising will continue throughout the winter,“

 

The Evening Star Witches have no meeting this Thursday, with the next action at Foxhall being a four-team tournament of Thursday week.

 

 

[Bryn 413]

Terrific news - the only sad part being that there had to be a meeting of this nature in the first place.

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Terrific news - the only sad part being that there had to be a meeting of this nature in the first place.

Very true Bryn