TT star Gary Johnson goes under the knife

Lincolnshire’s Gary Johnson is due to have a knee operation next Monday to repair the ligament damaged he suffered in his high-speed crash at the Skerries this year.

Johnson was at the NEC Show on Saturday, along with the majority of the road racing heroes in the special TT day but said: “I ripped the pcl (posterior cruciate) ligament off the bone in my Skerries crash and my knee joint has been weak ever since. 

“I’ve not been able to train and I’ve put a stone on but I’ll be fit and ready once the new season comes around.”

According to Johnson, medical staff have told him that professional footballers can expect to be out of action for at least three months after a similar operation and ‘civilians’ at least twice as long, but, as Johnson, motorcycle racers are a different breed.

“We don’t put the same stop, start and turning demands on the knee joint as footballers but I need to get some strength back to move around on the back and remain comfortable on the bike in the crouched position. That’s where it was affecting me the worst.”

Johnson, so impressive in last year’s TT and other road races on the Uel Duncan Hondas, is sticking with the Irish-based team for another season.

“Ule is 100% committed to me,” he said. “We’re getting a new Blade which will have the full HRC race kit and Showa suspension similar to Guy Martin’s bike this year.

“We’ll also have a new 600. The plan is to do the big three road races – the North West, TT and Ulster plus the Cookstown and Kells road races in Ireland. I’m going to do the first three BSB rounds on the superbike to get up to speed then we’ll come back to the BSB paddock for Cadwell and finish off the British Supersport season and then maybe do Bishopscourt and the Macau GP.

“I’ve also got an offer to do some World Endurance races with a Hungarian-based team but I’m not sure I’ll have enough spare time to commit to it. I think we’re going to be busy enough with Uel’s bikes.”