Despite his heroic efforts to return to action in the MCE British Superbike Championship, injured Lloyds British GBmoto Kawasaki rider James Ellison has been forced to withdraw from tomorrow's two races at Cadwell Park.

Just 35 days after breaking his femur and fracturing his kneecap, the legacy of a horrific crash at Brands Hatch, James Ellison returned to action in first free practice at Cadwell Park yesterday. Unfortunately, despite making incredible process thanks to intense Hyperbaric chamber and physiotherapy treatment, the extremely physical nature of the 2.18mile Cadwell Park circuit saw James unable to run more than six lap stints.

Battling through the pain James was still able to qualify in 22nd position, however with him unable to run full race distance, both James and the team have made the tough decision to withdraw from tomorrow’s two MCE British Superbike Championship races. With the Showdown now an unrealistic prospect, James will now focus on returning to full fitness and challenging once again for podiums.

It was a different story on the other side of the garage however as Chris 'Stalker' Walker narrowly missed out on a front row start in tomorrow’s opening race, qualifying in fourth. Chris currently sits in sixth place in the Championship standings.


A disappointed James Ellison said.

“After working so hard to get back here, I’m devastated to not be able to race tomorrow. The weekend started really well and I felt quite comfortable in the first session, but unfortunately things have gotten progressively worse from there and not only am I in a lot of pain from my knee but I’m really struggling to change direction on the bike. It’s for that reason we’ve made the decision not to race tomorrow as I can’t risk another injury.

Languishing down in 20th isn’t where I should be or where the team should be, so with the Showdown now an unrealistic possibility, I’m going to focus on getting myself fully fit so we can all end the season on a high. I’ll be back trying again a Donington, but I just want to say a massive thank you to all the fans who’ve supported me this weekend – they’ve made a huge difference and I’m just sorry I couldn’t put a show on for them all tomorrow!”

Lloyds British GBmoto Kawasaki Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen said,

“We’re all really gutted for James. He’s worked unbelievably hard to get back here for Cadwell but unfortunately the extremely physical nature of the circuit has meant that he hasn’t been able to run consecutive laps. Together we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from tomorrow’s two races to save risking further injury.

Although this means the Showdown is now a longshot for James, he can now focus on getting fully fit and trying again at Donington. James is an incredibly tough character and although he’s disappointed not to be here tomorrow he’ll bounce back stronger and I’m confident we’ll see him back on the podium where he belongs before the end of the year!”

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