On Tuesday 8th July Steve revisited Nobles Hospital to see Orthopedic Surgeon Mr Green. The plaster cast was removed and also the steel pins used to align the shattered bones. Everything has lined up perfectly and Steve has started physiotherapy with Adrian Bailey of the Douglas Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries Clinic. With the further help of the Hyperbaric Chamber Steve hopes to be back on his bike in the next two to three weeks and all being well will perform at the Royal Manx Agriculture show on 10/11th August. followed by the annual Hill Climb Trial at Val deIsere France on 15th August.

Dougie looked like he was going to achieve an amazing fight back, having only dropped five marks up to section twelve on his final lap, the gritty Yorkshireman seeming to find some extra strength and determination while the other riders looked to be struggling with the blistering afternoon heat. However all his hard work was to evaporate in the next two hazards as he quickly added another pair of fives to his tally for the day, and gave himself no chance of clawing his way back to victory or even a place on the podium. “I’m not going to even offer any kind of excuse, I’ve made some bad mistakes today and paid the price. The most annoying thing is other than those daft fives I felt I was riding well, especially for the majority of the second lap anyway. Hopefully tomorrow I will have the opportunity to salvage something from the weekend.”