Krzysztof Pecyna's departure from Wolverhampton has handed American veteran Ronnie Correy an earlier-than-expected route back into the Elite League.

Not even a week had passed since Correy's release from his short-term contract at Swindon before the call came from Monmore chief Chris Van Straaten offering the Wolves legend the chance to return.

Correy may have figured in some of the club's winter team-building permutations after a solid if unspectacular comeback to full-time racing last year, but the rider himself had indicated late in the season that he intended to try his luck in the Premier League in 2006.

At that stage, his likely destination appeared to be Birmingham, but when that project was put on hold for another year and when the team places in the second tier were gradually snapped up, Correy looked set to face time out of the saddle.

Pecyna, however, admitted to Van Straaten that his mind was not fully focused on racing due to concern over his brother, who is shortly to undergo major surgery on a head injury back in Poland.

Pecyna's decision to take at least a break from UK racing left Van Straaten facing a race against time to first of all agree a deal with Correy and then get his revised team line-up approved in time for tonight's Knockout Cup second leg tie with Oxford, which Wolves enter with a four-point lead thanks to last week's win at Cowley.

Van Straaten said: "Ronnie knew the reason why he wasn't in our initial plans but he's now delighted to be back with us.

"I fully understand Krzysztof's situation and I had sensed that something was not quite right. He had not been himself for ten days or so and we had a heart-to-heart chat at Oxford."

Meanwhile another Wolves asset expects to return to the Elite League next month, with Mikael Max on the comeback trail after a broken thigh.

It now appears that, contrary to initial expectations, the Swede will resume racing before having surgery to remove metalwork from the injury.

Max has been told that it is unlikely he would be able to have the operation before mid-July, and does not intend to write off the majority of the season.

He is planning to ride in the opening round of Polish League fixtures next weekend, lining up for Ostrow against Gdansk, and assuming he experiences no adverse reaction in the coming weeks Max will join up with Arena-Essex sometime in May.

The Hammers, who have made an encouraging start to the campaign, have been tracking Max's fellow Swede Andreas Jonsson on a short-term contract, but the Coventry asset will soon find his own commitments increasing with the Grand Prix series starting on April 22 and the Swedish League shortly afterwards.

Max will doubtless have one eye on the prospect of racing at Monmore Green. Fortunately for him the Hammers are not due to visit until June 5.