Stephen Thompson may have suffered a broken neck in a heavy crash at the Ulster Grand Prix, but the Crumlin man is determined to return to action at the Macau Grand Prix.

The 36-year-old has told News Letter Sport he hasn’t given up hope of travelling to the Far East to compete in the prestigious 46th edition of the famous race on the Armco-barrier lined Guia street circuit.

Thompson, who has entered a two-man team including English rider Steve Mercer at Macau, revealed he stopped breathing following his crash on the approach to Ireland’s Corner in the Supertwin race at Dundrod last month.

He received a police escort to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast following the incident, but admits he never once “considered retiring” in the aftermath.

“I’d had very little practice on the Supertwin but I qualified in 12th which wasn’t too bad,” said Thompson, reflecting on the crash. “I got away and was lying in eighth, but there was a group in front of me of four or five riders and I thought that if I could catch them I could have got through. But coming out of Quarterlands I high-sided and the next thing I went through the hedge. I remember landing and then the pain must have knocked me out. I was unconscious for about six or seven minutes and Dr [Fred] McSorley brought me round again because I wasn’t breathing,” he added.

“I was lucky that he was at the corner. It was bad enough and I got a police escort to the hospital and I think my family were a bit worried at the start. “But I was disappointed too because I had finished sixth in the Superbike race on the Thursday and I qualified on the front row for the Superstock race and seventh for the Superbike races. I was quite excited for the Saturday but it just wasn’t to be.”

Thompson, who broke the C7 vertebrae in his neck, is now focused on returning to fitness in time for the Macau GP on November 17.

“The doctors are telling me to take my time and heal naturally, but obviously I race and I want to heal quicker than anyone else,” he said.

“I’ve talked to Michael Laverty and he’s put me in contact with his physio so I’m going to try and get on the ball with him next week and maybe get some laser treatment. The plan is to get to Macau when I’ll ride my own BMW,” Thompson added.

“I don’t know how competitive I’ll be because I’ve lost over a stone in weight and I’m feeling a lot weaker. I want to try and get back into the gym a couple of weeks before Macau and build up my fitness.”




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