FRENCH RACER BERGE SIDELINED FOR THREE MONTHS AFTER SHOULDER SURGERY

French international Dimitri Berge looks set to miss the FIM Speedway of Nations in Manchester after confirming he faces three months on the sidelines after shoulder surgery.

Berge suffered a dislocated shoulder and ligament damage after clashing with Rybnik rider Brady Kurtz, who was excluded for the incident in heat seven of Krosno’s 56-34 loss away to Rybnik on Sunday afternoon.

The former FIM Long Track world champion was taken to Poznan for tests and underwent surgery.

Posting on Instagram, he wrote: “Hello everyone. Recovery has started. Following yesterday's negative results which showed that the acromioclavicular bone in my left shoulder was out, I had to undergo surgery this morning because the ligaments were damaged. The operation was successful. I can now concentrate on the rehabilitation which will be long (three months). 

“Thank you everyone for your messages of support. Thank you to my mechanic for staying by my side and a big thank you to my club Wilki Krosno for doing their best to ensure that I am in good hands. Thanks to the surgeon Mr Lubiatowski. I will be back.”

The news comes on a bittersweet day for Berge after he received a call-up for the Speedway European Championship as a wild card – a place he may not be able to take full advantage of with the opening round in Debrecen on June 8.

The news also comes as a hammer-blow to France’s hopes of reaching the FIM SON Final in Manchester. The French face Poland, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Italy and Ukraine in a tough Semi-Final 1 on July 9, and Berge had a pivotal role to play in their quest to reach the Final for the first time since the 2021 title-decider in Manchester.