Despite undergoing 16 operations and skin grafts a Bingley biker has been forced to admit defeat in his battle to be fit for the 2011 Isle of Man TT Races.

Ian Hutchinson, who won five TT Races last year, has not fully recovered from a compound fracture of the tibia and fibia he sustained during the first lap of the BSB Supersport Race at Silverstone last September.

Mr Hutchinson, 31, made his decision to withdraw following a consultation with his surgeon Mr Krkavic who said: “Ian Hutchinson is an incredibly determined young man.

“When I first saw him I advised him that I thought he should prepare himself for protracted rehabilitation before he could even walk without any aid.

“His courage and determination to win this ‘race’ is setting new standards in orthopaedic trauma surgery.

“To get as close as he has to competing at the TT Races less than a year after his accident at Silverstone is nothing less than remarkable and I am sure he will win many more races in future.”

Mr Hutchinson’s route to fitness included strapping water bottles to his leg and lifting it while he lay in his hospital bed to maintain his leg muscles and he also cycled with a protective metal cage on the injured left leg.

He said: “I’m gutted not to be able to compete at the TT Races this year. I’ve done everything I could to be there but I’ve just run out of time.

“I have to listen to the advice of the surgeon and think of my long-term fitness. This has only made me more determined to get back on the bike and return to racing later this year.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank both Yamaha and Shaun Muir for being so supportive and I’m looking forward to the chance to repay them.”

  • Read the full story in Saturday's T&A