This is terrible news. We all know JM's a great rider, but he's also a great ambassador for the sport as a whole. Get well soon John.

As for a (hopefully temporary) replacement, I'd employ Michael Rutter, an ex-Honda rider and TT winner and still rapid around the TT course. He's also a great ambassador for the sport.

What worries me most about the recent Fireblade SP2 events is the uncertainty surrounding the machine's behaviour. I really hope they can get it sorted as it's bad news for both Honda and the TT if they can't. Honda are already struggling with the F1 engine they've supplied to McClaren, the last thing they need is more bad publicity.