Sheffield Speedway: Lasse comes home to gain older brother's help

LLasse Bjerre: has to overcome a painful knee condition. Picture by Andy Garner

The 24-year-old charger enlists the help of brother and former Grand Prix star Kenneth Bjerre when both are back in their native Denmark in an attempt to keep at bay the pain of long-term knee ligament damage.

The Tigers number four endured months of misdiagnosis during last season and had been set to undergo surgery on the problem over the winter.

He opted to delay to ensure he would be back in the saddle from the start of 2018 with a fitness programme designed to push back the need for an operation until the coming winter.

“I like going out with my brother, he gives me a bit of a challenge on the push bike,” said Bjerre. “He trains so hard and when we link up back home in Denmark it is fun. It is far better than going alone because I can race against him.

“Kenneth pushes me. He is great to go up against because he is so good at that side of things and keeping up with him is a test for me.

“Because we are always on the road, when I am there he is usually somewhere else or the other way around. It is only when we have the Danish fixtures we get to see each other. It is valuable time, you don’t always get to see your family that much.

“The injury is getting better but I have not been in the same form as I used to be.

“I can still do all of the gardening at the gate and the knee brace is working. There are a lot of people helping me and the way I feel now, I could still be riding with this injury next year if I needed to.

“I do want to get it fixed, though. I don’t want it to heal the wrong way.

“It took about five months to sort out exactly what the problem was. We went to a private hospital and they diagnosed me the same day.

“I could have had the operation that week but it would have taken too long for me to recover ahead of the new season.”

Bjerre and his colleagues face a rare Thursday away from Owlerton on Thursday when they travel to Ipswich in the Championship (7.30), a repeat of last season’s play-off final.

Sheffield have a full one-to-seven with James Sarjeant in for Michael Hartel (Speedway of Nations duty) for the Witches.