Serious doubt has been cast over the career of road racing ace Ryan Farquhar after he was readmitted to hospital for a second time following his high-speed crash at the North West 200.

The Dungannon rider returned to the Royal Victoria Hospital on Tuesday for a routine check-up - but doctors expressed concern over his recovery and he was readmitted to assess his condition.

After suffering serious chest and pelvic injuries many believed the rider was on the mend after being released from hospital last month.

Earlier this week Farquhar was seen with his wife and young daughters at a tribute lap of the North West to fellow road racer Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, who died at this year's event.

The popular dad-of-two appeared upbeat as he posed for pictures in a wheelchair.

But just 24 hours later he was returned to hospital for a second time. Farquhar tweeted from his ward on Tuesday: "From making good progress to being back in hospital. Gutted. Better days coming."

His Twitter account was quickly flooded with get well wishes from fans, with one posting: "Sending you positive thoughts stay strong, Ryan."

The 40-year-old suffered six broken ribs and a lacerated liver after crashing in the Supertwins race on Thursday, May 12.

The Belfast Telegraph understands he underwent a minor emergency operation on Tuesday.

It emerged that the racing star suffered broken bones in his feet, which could seriously hamper his career in the saddle.

After he was first released from hospital his family thought that he was out of the woods, but just days later Ryan was rushed back into intensive care after a relapse brought on by a suspected infection.

In a previous interview with the Belfast Telegraph, his wife Karen said that the skill of the surgeons and medics saved his life.

Ryan has previously admitted that his recovery will take "months to get over properly".

He said last month: "Whenever you come so close to death twice, I'm just so thankful that somebody was looking over me and I'm blessing my lucky stars that I'm alive.

"Whenever I came off I had a really bad laceration to my liver and the medical team knew there was a problem with it.

"That's why they had to send me in the police helicopter, because they needed two doctors with me.

"They were afraid that my liver would start to bleed, and if that had happened on the helicopter it would've been all over."

Farquhar won the Dukes Road Racing Rankings four times, won five races at the Cookstown 100 in one day, and holds the most Irish national wins by any one rider (201).

Following the death of his uncle Trevor Ferguson during the 2012 Manx Grand Prix, Farquhar announced his retirement from road racing with immediate effect.

However, in December 2013 Farquhar announced he would make a comeback alongside his former rival Keith Amor at the 2014 Isle of Man TT.

Cate McCurry