Tarran Mackenzie requires several operations following his serious crash

It was a very strange crash: whilst braking for the final corner during the second free practice session of the Superbike World Championship at Donington Park on Friday afternoon, Tarran Mackenzie first lost the rear wheel after hitting a bump, then his Ducati Panigale V4R reared up, throwing its rider off, and both rider and bike crashed into the nearby track barrier at the 180-degree hairpin with little delay.

The Briton was conscious when medical staff rushed to his aid, but it quickly became clear that Mackenzie had sustained several serious injuries. The initial diagnosis at the circuit’s medical centre was concussion and suspected multiple fractures.

Mackenzie was taken to Nottingham University Hospital, where doctors confirmed that, in addition to the concussion, he had fractures to his left collarbone, shoulder blade and left tibia. As not all the fractures can be treated at once due to the strain on his circulatory system, the 30-year-old will require several operations. According to a team statement, his condition is stable.

‘Taz’ had recently been in good form and, with a fifth-place finish in the second main race at Misano, secured his second-best result of the season after finishing fourth at the World Championship opener in Australia. Despite a crash, he finished Friday’s combined timesheets from FP1 and FP2 in fifth place at his home race.

Following the races in England, the Superbike World Championship will take a summer break of just under eight weeks before action resumes on the first weekend of September at Magny-Cours in central France. It is currently unclear whether Mackenzie will be fit enough by then to race for his team, MGM Optical Express Ducati. He currently lies 13th in the overall standings with 81 points.