David Johnson remains hospitalised in Liverpool nearly a month after his August crash at the Classic TT. Visordown reported that the rider was injured at Glen Helen during the Historic Senior Classic race, when the inner tube in the rear tyre of his Manx Norton burst. The incident damaged both legs, including severe injuries to his left heel.

Johnson has undergone two successful operations. Surgeons placed a rod along the femur of his right leg, while another procedure treated complicated fractures in his left lower leg. He said the heel on that side was “pretty much shattered”, but added that the surgeons were satisfied with the results. His recovery is expected to be lengthy, although Johnson says he plans to return for the 2027 racing season in strong form.

Results before the crash

The accident came after a positive Classic TT outing. Johnson had secured a top-five result in the Classic Superbike race on the Steadplan ZXR, while Visordown also records a fifth-place finish for him in the Formula 1 Classic TT on the Steadplan Kawasaki ZXR750. In Johnson’s own account, the Manx Norton crash was a freak occurrence rather than the result of an error by him or the team.

His strongest result at the 2025 Isle of Man TT was fifth in the Superbike race. At the 2026 TT, he finished seventh in the Senior event, which was stopped by a red flag and did not restart after a single lap. Those results provide the racing context for Johnson’s intended comeback, but his immediate priority is recovering from the complex injuries sustained at the Classic TT.