Howie Mainwaring will miss the final round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Brands Hatch after injuring his back in a motocross accident. The 24 year old is known to be a keen motocross rider, using the sport for fitness and race craft, but the crash on Sunday has left him with a broken L2 and L3 vertebrae.
The MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider will undergo an operation at Ipswich Hospital today before a spell of recuperation, forcing him to miss this weekend's finale, but he is expected to be back at full fitness in time for the start of next season.
Mainwaring has enjoyed a strong season, highlighted by his victory in mixed conditions at Brands Hatch in August, and put in one of the rides of the year to finish third after storming through from 18th on the grid at Silverstone.
MSS Colchester Kawasaki and Kawasaki Motors UK have wished him well in his recovery and it doesn't appear that he will be replaced in the team, leaving Danny Buchan to go it alone as he tries to secure the runner-up spot in the championship.
