Stroud racer Dan Cooper spoken about the crash in yesterday’s Supertwin race at the North West 200 which saw him and Ryan Farquhar taken to hospital, saying that he had nowhere to go when the Dungannon ace fell right beside him.

Cooper dislocated both shoulders in the race and was taken to Coleraine Hospital while Farquhar remains in intensive care after surgery at Belfast’s Royal Victoria.

“I’m very stiff. I dislocated both my shoulders. Last night it wasn’t too bad as I had a few drugs in me but this morning it’s just stiff really, It could be a lot worse. I just remember coming out of Metropole and thinking I was going to make my move at Black Hill,” said Cooper, speaking at the track today.

“I got as close to Ryan as I could to get a good run and then he just lost the front and I had nowhere to go - then I was flying through the air. I don’t remember anything really , it all happened so quickly. I wasn’t knocked out or anything. We were both on the limit and pushing. It’s a fine line.

“When you are that close, you can’t avoid it, it happens in a split second. I hope Ryan is ok. He is a fighter so it;’s fingers crossed for him and my thoughts are with his family.

“I’ve got two weeks to prepare for the TT now. If I had only hurt one shoulder I would have raced tomorrow but with two it’s not possible.”