BELLE Vue star Jason Crump today revealed his anguish following the crash at Coventry last Thursday when he feared his world championship dream was over.

His left leg had hit a concrete post after sliding under the safety fence and his only thought was that he would be out of the Italian Grand Prix at Lonigo on Saturday.

"When I was lying there on the track, not knowing what was wrong with me, it was the only thing in my mind," the hot world title favourite said.

"I had a lot of pain in my leg and I thought `This is it, everything is out of the window.' That made it hurt even more.

"I had to ride in Italy. If there was any chance I had to do it. If I'd gone there and scored only five points, and then won the world championship at the end of the year by four, it would have been a good move.

Struggle

"I struggled a bit when I got on the bike at practice, not just because of my ankle but because we couldn't get it working how we wanted on a very hot day.

"But we got it running right for the last two practice sessions and, all of a sudden, I felt a lot better. I decided then that I would try to win the meeting rather than just ride in it."

"That was really cool. I don't think the injury affected me too much when I was riding, it hurt more when I walked on it."

His decision to ride flew in the face of advice from Belle Vue legend, Ivan Mauger, the six-times world champion.

Crump, who leads by 57 points going into the seventh of ten GPs in Sweden on Saturday week, is seeing a Harley Street specialist this week fearing he has either broken a bone in his heel or suffered serious ligament damage.

He added: "The medics in Italy said that something could be broken because of the way it was feeling. It could also be damaged ligaments but it looks like being one or the other."

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