Gary McCoy, one of the two Mountain Course debutants at this year’s TT, is receiving treatment for a broken vertebrae following a spill in Wednesday’s Supersport race.

The Cookstown man came off at Kerrowmoar on the third lap of the week’s opening Supersport encounter.

Initially he was treated in Noble’s Hospital before being transferred to Merseyside for further treatment.

Posting an update on his condition on MadBros Racing social media page on Monday, Gary said it was hoped he would be soon transferred back to Northern Ireland to continue his recuperation: ‘We are still in Aintree at the Walton Centre awaiting results from a CT scan to make sure my vertebrae are stable enough to get me back home to Belfast.

‘A neck brace is in place since last Wednesday to support the broken vertebrae and they are hoping this might be enough without needing surgery.

‘Thank you all for the kind messages over the last few days, sorry I haven't replied to them all but I really appreciate the support shown to my family and I.

‘A massive thank you to RST and Arai for providing the best protection available, without them I mightn't have been as fortunate.’

Despite the crash, McCoy added it had been a positive TT: ‘Apart from the obvious mishap in the Supersport race, we had a brilliant TT debut, lapping at 124mph in Superstock qualifying and nearly 120mph in the Supersport class.

‘This made us fastest newcomer which is a credit to everyone in the MadBros team who keep the wheels turning.

‘We will be back next year if everything's right to keep learning, progressing and get some racing in, if the wife doesn't bury me before then!’

McCoy was meant to make his TT debut last year but the injuries suffered during a serious accident at the North West 200 ruled him out of the event.