Co-ordit Yamaha’s Dean Ellison, who is making his BSB comeback this season, will be forced to watch from the sidelines at Brands after a horror smash saw him knocked out at Oulton Park.

Ellison, who has also aggravated the left foot he injured in World Superbikes last year, crashed into superbike cup man Steve Mercer’s prone Yamaha in Monday's second race.

He said: “I came out of Foulston’s with my head on the tank. As I came over the hill, I looked up and saw Steve laying on the track and had make a decision: him or the bike, so I hit the bike.

“I’m pretty bashed up. I’ve got ligament damage in my left foot, my right foot hurts, I’ve got a headache, it hurts to laugh. And I think the bike is in a bad way too. I’ve been told I was knocked unconscious for 10 minutes. I only remember seeing Steve on the track, then being put in an ambulance.”

Because Ellison was knocked out he is not allowed to compete for seven days but despite this, he is still very upbeat about his season to come.

He said: “We can really get going from Donington onwards. We have been getting a help from the guys at Rob Mac Racing and we need to do some testing. I have got the speed, I just need to get used to the weather.

“In the second race at Thruxton, I was running the same lap times as the guys in the top 12 and I was at the back of the grid. I feel confident the pace is there.”