Northern Ireland road racer Gary McCoy is recovering from his second serious crash in 13 months but insists he will return to racing next year, saying motorbikes remain his driving force despite the risks. He came off his bike during his Isle of Man TT debut in June, an accident that fractured five vertebrae, crushed one and broke his shoulder blade, coming just over a year after a separate crash at the North West 200 left him with a brain bleed, a punctured lung and 22 broken bones.

Speaking to the BBC Bikes podcast, the 27-year-old Cookstown rider said he felt "very, very lucky" after the TT crash, which happened in damp conditions during the opening Supersport race, and is awaiting scan results on his vertebrae injuries. McCoy, who made his North West 200 debut in 2022 and raced for the family-run MadBros team at the TT, acknowledged road racing is "a very selfish sport" that puts pressure on his wife Leana and their two young children, but said his lifelong passion for the sport is what motivates his recovery and his determination to compete again.