Edinburgh Monarchs draft in Victor Palovaara to ease injury crisis

Edinburgh Monarchs have enlisted the help of popular Swedish rider Victor Palovaara to aid them through their current injury crisis.
Victor Palovaara was at Monarchs last year. Pic: Ron MacNeillVictor Palovaara was at Monarchs last year. Pic: Ron MacNeill
Victor Palovaara was at Monarchs last year. Pic: Ron MacNeill

Palovaara, a member of last season’s Monarchs team, has been drafted in to replace Justin Sedgmen, who could be out of action for another three weeks following his crash against Glasgow Tigers at Armadale a week ago.

Palovaara said: “It is going to be fun. I feel fine and I have been doing well in meetings so far.

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“And this will help me to ride more meetings for Monarchs. I feel I’m in for a good season.”

Palovaara had been originally set to join Championship rivals Newcastle but lost out when the Diamonds reshuffled their starting line-up. Palovaara commented: “Maybe when something bad happens to you, something good happens.

“I have my bikes already built so I just need to build a box to send them over to Scotland. They were all packaged up at the start of the season then I had to dismantle them, and now I must put them together again!”

Sedgmen broke two bones in his hand when he came down heavily in the eighth heat against the Tigers, and thinks he may require an operation to put things right.

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Meawhile, Josh Pickering, who suffered shoulder ligament damage when he crashed awkwardly at Birmingham Brummies nine days ago, went for an MRI scan on Wednesday. The results are still awaited, but he is definitely ruled out of next Friday’s Scottish Open Championship at Armadale and is also a huge doubt for Monarchs’ league trip to runaway leaders Leicester Lions the following day. But there is better news concerning reserve Luke Ruddick, who also came to grief against the Tigers.

He suffered concussion and will be out of action for a mandatory nine-day period.

Meanwhile, Monarchs have announced the first four riders for the Scottish Open which has been reduced to a 12-man field.

Former Monarchs captain Sam Masters – who won the crown in 2014 – returns to see if he can triumph for a second time. Masters is joined by current skipper Ricky Wells, Richie Worrall and Joel Andersson.

Monarchs would have liked to have included Erik Riss, but the popular German is injured and was axed by his Premiership side King’s Lynn Stars this week.