The 22-year-old Mailors Flat local won the Australian wingless sprint title in February before going to hospital with a compressed neck and spine, as well as small Greenstick fractures in his lower back, following a rollover at Simpson Speedway this month.

And while Ross said he was "devastated" to be forced into writing off the rest of the season, he got the chance to take part in Speedway Australia's rising star program, held from April 15 to 18 at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

One of 20 drivers aged between 16 and 23 selected from all over Australia - including Darwin and Toowoomba - Ross was treated to a crash course in fitness training and psychology, as well as media and market training.

"It was a great experience," he said. "I took a lot out of it and was grateful for the opportunity."

Ross said the camp covered all aspects of racing - not just speedway.

"It went into the fundamentals of preparing for a meet and getting the best out of yourself in terms of physical, mental and nutritional preparation," he said.

"We learned about little ways to compose yourself during stressful situations and also how to look after your partners and sponsors, which is important because they give so much to you."

Ross has now turned his attention to physiotherapy treatment - the carpenter won't return to work until April 29 but declared he will be fit for the first race of next season.

"My neck was so swollen I couldn't do much until last week," he said.

And while Ross can't compete at the inaugural Ken Willsher Classic, to be held on Saturday, he will crew for Bill Fraser and watch from the sidelines.

"I was really looking forward to it, but health comes first," he said. "I wasn't improving as quickly as expected and it got to the stage where I'd rather focus on being 100 per cent for next season.

"That was a blow, because no one wants to finish early, especially with this iconic race coming up.

"Ken Willsher did so much for speedway."

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