Wolves pull off shock signing

Wolves today unveiled a shock signing to complete their 2008 speedway team – Ales Dryml.

It comes just two years after the Czech nearly lost his life in a track accident – riding against Wolves.

Dryml glanced off the fence while riding for Oxford at Cowley and fell into the path of Wolves rider Ronnie Correy, who had no chance of avoiding him.

The blameless Correy was distraught; Dryml fell into a coma and his family were told his chances of survival were slim.

Yet Dryml, in one of the sport's most uplifting stories, not only recovered but returned to track action, campaigning successfully in Europe.

Now the 28-year-old joins the Parrys International Wolves on a year-long loan from Peterborough after his pre-injury average was reduced on appeal by the sport's bosses.

"He came back last year, did a few meetings and broke a collarbone," said Wolves owner Chris Van Straaten.

"By the time he came back Oxford had gone under and he was stuck on his high seven-point average from, really, three years ago.

"Peterborough asked for his average to be reassessed and it was accepted with the proviso that he couldn't ride for them this year."

Curiously, Dryml and his brother Lukas made their first British appearances at Monmore in the 1999 Olympique meeting.

"We were interested in signing him then," said Van Straaten. "But they came as a package in their younger days and it just wasn't

practical for us to sign both."

To complete the family connection, their father Ales Dryml Snr rode for Van Straaten when he was

promoting at Birmingham.