Tommy Searle is coping with a damaged ligament in his right knee that is limiting the former Grand Prix winner from a full riding and training programme between race events.
The 26-year-old Brit sustained the small injury in his spectacular first moto crash at Canada Heights recently for the second round of eight in the British Championship. Searle was second fastest in Timed Practice for last weekend’s Grand Prix of Germany but a fall in qualification left him with a handicap of 26th choice in the gate. He finished 11th overall after being struck by Romain Febvre in the first moto and needing to recover from the rear of the pack.
“I hurt my knee and tore the ligament at the back, the meniscus,” he explained. “Every race and practice is a bit of a struggle. I am doing what I can and trying to stabilise it. I was missing some confidence on a track like Teutschenthal. I was having to ride differently and could not grip with my legs and my shoulders were painful.”
Thankfully Searle – who has suffered more than his fair share of injury woe in the last two seasons – is not considering an operation on the tear. “It is just time,” he added. “I had scans and a check in the medical truck in Germany. I don’t need an operation, just taping every time I ride. I haven’t really ridden [in practice] since Canada Heights. I had 30 minutes before this GP but will probably need the next week off and will have to go race to race until it gets better.”
