After his high-speed smash at last weekend's North West 200 which left him with serious injuries, Scotsman Stuart Easton has been given the best possible reason to get back to full fitness by being offered a deal to race in 2012 with Paul Bird Motorsport.

The 27 year old from Hawick suffered pelvic, leg and hand as well as some internal injuries in the crash during Thursday morning's practice and was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where he is expected to remain for some time.

However, long term friend and sponsor Paul Bird, whose World Superbike Championship factory Kawasaki team this year has been supporting Easton on the MSS Colchester Kawasaki ZX-10R, has pledged to back Easton in 2012 after visiting him in hospital on Friday.

Bird, from Penrith in Cumbria commented:

"Stuart was well on course to be one of the main contenders in the British Superbike Championship this year and at the time of his accident was lying in third place just six points off the lead so it's a cruel blow that this has happened. It's going to be a long and painful road ahead for him and the last thing he needs to be worrying about is whether or not he's got a ride so we will provide him with a competitive bike for next season in whichever championship both Stuart and the team decide upon and feel he'll be most competitive in. We are all devastated at what has happened but the first thing is to get Stuart fit again and back on a bike as soon as possible. We are working on bringing a brand new sponsor in too so hopefully we can announce that in due course."

Meanwhile, the Paul Bird Motorsport Team heads across the Atlantic this week aiming for glory on both two wheels and four whereby Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, USA is the venue this weekend for round five of the World Superbike Championship. There, the Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team duo of Yorkshireman Tom Sykes and Spanish rider Joan Lascorz will be hoping to turn the corner aboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10Rs.

Team owner Paul Bird flies out to Barbados this week where he will be in action in the annual SOL Rally Barbados. Having finished runner-up twice, the Ford Focus WRC driver will be hoping to go one better and to end his wretched run of bad luck recently.



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