After consultation with his Physiotherapy team, his Doctor and Tyco Suzuki team manager Philip Neill, Cummins accepted that sitting out the opening three days of racing would give his right hand further time to let nature take its cause.
Aided by daily trips to the Hyperbaric Chamber and intense sessions with the Scott Physiotherapy team, Conor was able to take part in yesterday's qualifying lap for the Senior TT, which followed Supersport Race 2 where his team-mate Guy Martin finished in eighth place.
Despite getting caught in traffic during the Senior TT qualifying lap, less than favourable conditions with damp patches and low sunlight, and not having ridden his GSX-R1000 Superbike for over a week, the lofty Manxman was able to record a respectable lap of 125mph.
Conor explained afterwards:
"Yeah that was a good. The sun was horrendous right out through to Glen Helen and it was damp as well. It was great not having to think about it too much; it was the first time I've been on the bike since the NW200 where everything just came naturally. I also got stuck behind another rider right out to Crosby and bearing in mind I haven't been on a bike for a week - yeah it's very positive. You can't beat being in a racing situation and that's what I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I woke up this morning and the hand is so much better and for the first time I can actually see the bones as the swelling has gone down so much."
He added:
"It has been a long week not racing and I have been frustrated, but I've been here before and I know what it's like to deal with being injured and having problems. I've just been a team player this week and done what I can to promote Suzuki, Tyco and all the sponsors involved. Now it's time for me to get a run out and put on a good show for all the loyal team and personal sponsors. I just hope I can get a decent result, but it's all down to the weather now."
Team Manager Philip Neill is delighted that Cummins will be riding on Friday and said:
"It's still less than an ideal situation for Conor, but I have to say, he's put in a super-human effort and sacrificed a lot having to sit on the sidelines. I did tell him we had to potentially 'lose the battle for a few days to win the war,' and he's done a great job in and around the paddock when he could have hidden away. Now he deserves to race.
"To jump on his GSX-R1000 Superbike in a lot of traffic and less than ideal conditions and post a lap of 125mph yesterday is impressive, but to expect too much from him tomorrow would be silly. There is absolutely no pressure on him and if he squeezes into the top six or eight that would be a great result. I'm sure the fans will give him plenty of encouragement around the circuit. He's a great ambassador for the TT as we have seen this week and a great ambassador, both on and off the bike, for the Isle of Man."
On Guy Martin he added:
"We will be expecting a podium finish from Guy tomorrow. The second Supersport race was not a good one for him and didn't return the result we had hoped for. We are still evaluating what went wrong, but despite what has been said, the GSX-R600 is a more than competitive package as we have shown in British Championship and also recently at the North West 200."
Pictured: Conor Cummins (left) with Suzuki's former World 500cc Champion Kevin Schwantz .
