Bradley Ellis has been diagnosed with a fractured bone in his neck but is in 'good spirits' following his horrific accident during the second Avon Tyres British GT Championship race of the weekend at
Thruxton.
Ellis, who took the 2007 title alongside Alex Mortimer, was competing alongside GT4 title hopeful Fulvio Mussi in the #52 Ginetta G50 when he was involved in a high-speed incident while dicing for position with fellow Team RPM driver Nigel Moore and Rob Austin on the third lap of the race.
Contact from Austin's Ginetta as the trio made the high-speed run up Woodham Hill towards the Chicane saw Ellis go off onto the left hand-side of the circuit, where he hit a marshals post and comprehensively destroyed the car - with the violent nature of the incident leading to immediate concern over one of the most popular drivers in the British GT paddock.
The race was quickly red-flagged to allow medical teams to attend the incident, and although Ellis was able to clamber out of the car himself and was concious throughout, he was quickly taken to hospital in Winchester to undergo tests having complained of pain in his back and legs.
With initial x-rays proving to be inconclusive, Ellis underwent further CT scans on his neck and spinal area on Sunday evening which confirmed that he had suffered a fractured bone in his neck.
As a result, the 21-year-old was due to spend Sunday night in Winchester Hospital, but remains hopeful of being able to return home at some point on Monday with a neck brace to support the injury, which will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.
"Further to the statement issued at 5.30pm today [Sunday], medical examinations, including x-rays and CT scans, at Winchester Hospital have confirmed that Bradley has fractured a bone in his neck," a statement issued by the Ellis family read. "He will remain in Winchester Hospital overnight for observation but hopes to return home tomorrow [Monday] with a neck brace to support the injury.
