Gowland to take season-long sabbatical for rehab

British Supersport title favourite Graeme Gowland is to sit out the 2015 season as he continues to rehabilitate the leg he badly broke last month in a testing crash at Spain’s Guadix circuit.

Coming off his Smith’s Triumph at turn three of the track, he was followed into the gravel by his bike, breaking his femur near his hip.

“I was operated on the day after the accident; to have a nail inserted down the centre of my femur and another up towards my hip as the break is high up. I spent a week recovering in hospital in Granada in Spain, which was an experience! I flew back home last week and it feels great to be back at home. I have seen a specialist in Newcastle who is sending me for a CT scan to determine if he needs to reset anything or if I can go straight into a rehabilitation programme with a physiotherapist.

“At the moment I am looking at taking a 12 month sabbatical from racing to ensure that I complete my rehabilitation programme properly and I give my body the time that it needs to heal.  In the short-term I would like to help my teammates Billy and Jake as much as I possibly can. I feel that I have a lot of knowledge and experience to pass on. I’m looking forward to seeing Jake ride back here. I’ve rated Jake since I met him in 2012 and after seeing him ride in Spain- he’s the one to watch! Billy looked awesome in Spain too so I know that Smiths will have a great year.”

Team boss Rebecca Smith was quick to reemphasise that despite being out injured, Gowland would continue to be a key part of the squad.

“We are so disappointed that Graeme’s accident has resulted in him taking the decision to take twelve months out but we are fully supportive of this. He will continue to be involved in our team as we all really enjoy having him around and he is an asset to us all.

“At the moment, we are not looking to replace Graeme. There are a number of reasons for this and our priority is now to ensure that we make the very best of our BSB and road racing efforts for 2015 with the riders that we already have signed up. You should never say never, particularly not in motorsport, but at the moment we must concentrate on the commitments we have made.”