Moto3 ace McPhee gets 'no fly' orderposted in OTHER24 | 10 | 2016
SCOT JOHN McPHEE’S hopes of returning home to recover after his horrific crash in the latest round of the Moto3 GP Championship in Australia have been dealt a blow by doctors. And the injuries have essentially ended his season.
The 22-year-old from Oban, who was knocked unconscious after he was hit by another bike when he slid off at the Phillip Island circuit near Melbourne on Sunday, has been told he can’t fly for at least two weeks.
Initially McPhee, who won his maiden Motor3 GP in the Czech republic earlier this year, was diagnosed with concussion and a broken thumb.
But having originally planned to fly back to the UK on Sunday night, the result of scans carried out at the Kilda-Alfred Hospital in Melbourne revealed an accumulation of air between one of his lungs and the chest wall.
Related: John McPhee in horror Moto3 GP crash
“The conditions means John isn’t allowed to fly for between two and three weeks,” Peter Ball, who masterminds McPhee’s career development as part of the Racing Steps Foundation, explained today.
“It means that in addition to missing this weekend’s Moto3 World Championship round in Malaysia, he’s almost certainly ruled out of the season finale at Valencia on November 11-13.”
The Scot is set to undergo surgery on the broken thumb on his left hand later this week.
The news that he is out for the rest of the season means McPhee will have raced for his Peugeot MX Saxoprint team for the final time.
The Scot is set to put pen-to-paper on a new deal for 2017 which will see him switch to a more competitive Honda-powered bike. Details of the team and sponsors won’t be released until the agreement is signed.
Related: John McPhee's racing steps to success
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Jim McGill