Lee Johnston will make his return to road racing at the 2017 MCE Ulster Grand Prix following the big crash which ruled him out of this year’s Isle of Man TT.
The 28-year-old Irishman sustained back, coccyx and finger injuries in a practice shunt which saw his Padgetts Supersport CBR turn into a fireball but the Fermanagh rider has set his sights on nothing less than a win a Dundrod even though he has had no bike time since.
“I always go racing to win and if I’m feeling good and well as hopefully I am then I plan on trying to win a few races at the Ulster,” he said.
“You’re wasting petrol and fuel and tyres and everything if you’re not going with winning in mind. It might not happen but you have to at least set that goal, if you turn up thinking you’re only going to get top five then you’re definitely not going to win.”
Johnston will race the East Coast BMW S1000RR in the Superbike and Superstock events, and a Padgetts Honda in Supersport joining the team of Conor Cummins and Bruce Anstey.
“It’s a big relief to be feeling race-ready for Dundrod. Only the people closest to me know that when I was still in the hospital I made a plan in my head that this was what I wanted to do and having that goal helped me in recovery, you need to be aiming for something,” added Johnston.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this point, I’ve been at everything from oxygen chambers to a guy coming to the house with a magnetic bed and all sorts.
“I feel loads better than I did a month ago. I’m still a little bit sore, but my back has healed up well and the break has healed but it’s just the nerve damage to deal with and that’s going to be sore for months and months. I’ll get a painkiller injection before the Ulster to calm it down a bit.
“Apart from that I feel good, I’m back doing some light training. I haven’t ridden a bike yet but we’re planning to do a test next Thursday. I’ve been riding bikes long enough and had enough crashes that it doesn’t really make much different to me confidence-wise. I just have to get bike sharp again and the only way to do that is to get back on it.”
