The 28-year-old bravely drove through severe pain provided by a ganglion cyst on his left ankle, but decided to have the growth removed in the lead-up to this weekend's event, which serves as a support race for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.
Per , Jacobson's cyst was first noticed at November's Newcastle 500, with a golf ball-sized lump needing to be drained, but a longer-term solution became necessary when it returned during pre-season testing.Speedcafe.com
“I jumped out of the car, and I was like, ‘Oh crap, what’s going on with my foot?’ I pulled my shoe off, and then the golf ball had reappeared,” he said.
“I thought that I’d fixed the issue in the off-season. I had gone to get medical advice and attention to that ankle. It appeared to be only a band-aid fix and I needed a more permanent fix.
“I would’ve liked to have had everything handled by December, because that’s the off-season, where if you have any injuries you can get them fixed and ready for the next season ahead.”
Having had surgery in Melbourne, Jacobson has been back home in Shepparton having been unable to fly and return to his new hometown of the Gold Coast.
“I’m just in high spirits and trying to maintain a positive attitude, it’s not ideal, but it’s one of those things,” he said.
“You’ve just gotta stay patient and have your foot up in the air as much as you can and ice it, and try and keep the inflammation down.
“In terms of my training, it’s just basically a bit of Pilates and upper-body work at the gym … just training twice a day with what I can to stay in shape.”
Jacobson failed to finish the opening race in Adelaide before claiming 20th in race two — but given he was battling intense pain, the results certainly make sense.
“My goal was to just try and get through the weekend,” he said.
“We tried some different medications that were all approved by ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority).
“Eventually we found the right thing that just sort of helped reduce the pain symptoms. I just had to get through the weekend, to be honest, it wasn’t ideal.
“It’s not something that you expect to have to deal with, going into your first Supercar event with your first team in a new car. But as I said, some things you just can’t control.
“I’ll put the helmet on (this weekend), I’ll be professional about it, I’ll jump in the car, and I’ll drive the car as fast as I can.”
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