Isle of Man TT star facing “long road to recovery” following Classic TT accident

Australian road racer David Johnson remains hospitalised one month on from his accident in the Historic Senior Classic TT.

Johnson was riding a Manx Norton when the inner tube inside the rear tyre burst, causing him to crash at Glen Helen

Johnson, who achieved his best Isle of Man TT finish one year ago with fifth place in the Superbike TT, suffered injuries to both legs, including his left heel.

The complicated nature of his injuries means Johnson has been kept at a hospital in Liverpool.

Johnson recorded a fifth-place finish in the Formula 1 Classic TT aboard the Steadplan Kawasaki ZXR750, which took place prior to the Historic Senior Classic TT.

Since suffering his injuries, the 43-year-old has already undergone two successful surgeries. Johnson said this regarding his recovery on social media: “Thank you everyone for your patience with me until now. It’s been a tough month since my crash at the Classic TT… 

“I’m still in Liverpool hospital after two successful operations. One on my right leg which now has a rod down the femur. 

“The other operation was on my left lower leg rectifying what proved to be quite complicated breaks. My left heel was pretty much shattered. 

“Thankfully the surgeons were happy with the result after my operations. Now to the race... Everything was going great at the Classic TT with a decent top 5 in the Classic Superbike race on the Steadplan ZXR. 

“The crash was on the Manx Norton in the Classic Senior race caused by the rear inner tube bursting. It was an extremely hard pill to swallow, as it was a freak occurrence. 

“No one to blame, not myself, nor the team. But on the bright side of things, it could have been worse.  

“I’ve got a long road to recovery ahead of me, but I’ll recover and will arrive formidably ready for the 2027 race season.”

It’s unclear at this stage when Johnson will be fit for a return to racing, although we should get a clearer understanding of that in 2027.