Lindback quits?

[Deleted]

Dunno about Lindback, reading your posts though I reckon you sink a few before logging in here.

[Deleted]

Article in Sweden's second biggest evening paper about Antonio.
It was kind of good so I'll translate it for you

www.expressen.se/sport/motorsport/1.1061390/antonio-lindback-jag-drack-for-att-kunna-sova


Antonio Lindbäck: "I drank to be able to sleep"[/b

He was on his way to becoming Swedens next big speedway star. But when Antonio landed the fall was heavy. Two months after being convicted of drunk driving, he's preparing for his comeback. -There's always a way up again, and I found mine, says Antonio Lindbäck.

Antonio Lindbäck got in his car to go and lock up a storage owned by his parents on the night of October 2 last year. He had 1.26 parts per mille alcohol in his blood.

It had being going on for two years

When the verdict fell on the drunk driving he had already decided to quit speedway. -That night was just the tip of the iceberg, it had been going on for two years.
Antonio Lindbäck broke through in 2001. Tony Rickardsson was already at Masarna, and Antonio was launched as his crown prince and was named "Toninho" (little Tony).

In 2006 Sweden raced their first SWC without King Tony. But his successor took the team to the final. -All the pressure surrounding me became too great. I was only 21 and had all the fans expectations, the clubs expectations, the medias expectations. And what I demanded of myself on top of that. I was going to be the new Tony Rickardsson, I was going to do this and that. -It all became chaos.

One long nightmare

2007 became one long nightmare. The GP-premier ended in fiasco, then he crashed and lost six weeks while the debts piled up. -If you go through a bad patch you have no income. If you're injured a couple of weeks you're down a 100 000 SEK. And then you have to ride even when you're not fit and half injured.
In May he sought counsel from sports psychologist Åsa Mattsson.
-Åsa said my body and my condition was up here, says Antonio and shows with his hand. -But my mind was nowhere close.
-Everything happened so fast. What others experience in five years I experienced in two. It was fun to be there - but it's all about performing, all the time.
So you drank?
Most of the time I had to drink just to be able to sleep in the evenings.

"I only want to look ahead"

Antonio Lindbäck welcomes us at his new job, a construction company in Stockholm. It is the same day that he announced to the press he's making a come back. -My thoughs have been there for a month or so, I decided two or three weeks ago to do it. At first I only thought about riding one or two open events, but now I'm going to ride in the allsvenskan. If I want to ride in the Elitserien later on, I won't have lost too much.
Have you been riding during the winter?
-I haven't touched the bikes. I have to go home now and dust them.
-Haha, I'm lying. I started one of the bikes in the garage, I couldn't resist.

He doesn't want to talk about the night he was caught, or about the trial. - I only want to look ahead. But I think it was a good thing, a wake up call. It had to turn around somewhere. All people suffer coming to a halt in their life. Some just a little harder than others.

What was the time like after that evening?

-I didn't leave the house once for a couple of weeks. It was one long nightmare. My family supported me through the worst time though. And I met my new girlfriend Emma.

Your relation to alcohol today?

-Good. I can drink a little if I want to. But I'm not using it the same way I used to anymore.

[nobbyclark]

wacks said:

Dunno about Lindback, reading your posts though I reckon you sink a few before logging in here.

LMFAO - At least I don't have to Edit my posts when I have only posted a dozen words!

Is that Alcohol I can smell on your breath sir?

;D

[Deleted]

At least I can count, there's 16 words in my last post on here not a dozen!

And for the record, the edit (notice no capital letter) was to change/add a smiley

[nobbyclark]

wacks said:

At least I can count, there's 16 words in my last post on here not a dozen!

And for the record, the edit (notice no capital letter) was to change/add a smiley

LOL... Bless

I think I'm in love too!!

p.s. it was an Irish bakers Dozen!

[Deleted]

Thank you for that erik. I agree there probably has been a lot of pressure on him, but then the same can be said for a lot of riders, and they don't drink drive. To me that's inexcusable, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and wish him well. Everybody deserves a second chance.

[Deleted]

sonic said:

Thank you for that erik. I agree there probably has been a lot of pressure on him, but then the same can be said for a lot of riders, and they don't drink drive. To me that's inexcusable, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and wish him well. Everybody deserves a second chance.

I agree. The drink driving is inexcusable, but as long as he don't do it again I think he deserves a chance. However I do have sympathy for him when it comes to the other drinking to release some tension. It's a remedy many of us turn to. I do feel however serious doubt that Anton is actually any stronger now than last year. He's been doing something else than speedway for a while and feels rejuvenated apparently, but what's to say he'll stand the pressure any better next time around. Ofcourse at the moment he says he'll only race the allsvenskan for fun, but I think a proper comeback is inevitable. Oh well, maybe he'll build up a better platform to stand on in the sport this time around. I have my doubt though as I said.