Eugene Laverty flies home after treatment for injuries sustained in crash at Phillip Island

Laverty was competing in his final ever World Superbike race when he came off the Bonovo Action BMW after a collision with Xavi Fores at the final round of the championship in November.

The 2013 title runner-up sustained a broken right hip as well as fractures of the sacrum and pelvis. He was flown by helicopter to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where he was treated before being released after four days.

However, the Toome native was re-admitted to hospital 24 hours after his release after experiencing complications from his injuries with minor internal bleeding.

Laverty spent a further eight days in hospital before he was finally released and granted permission to fly back to Europe.

“I felt more ready to leave hospital the second time around as it took some time for everything to settle down after such a trauma,” Laverty said.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have my wife Pippa by my side throughout and we’re both very happy to return home following an extended period in Australia.

“It wasn’t the way I wanted to finish my racing career in World Superbikes but I was giving it my everything and that’s how it should be.

“I want to thank WorldSBK race direction for red-flagging the race immediately and all the medical staff at Phillip Island for taking such good care of me in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

“There is a very good system in place to ensure that fallen riders are looked after and I owe a lot to them.”

Laverty has retired from the sport after announcing his decision in the summer.

The 36-year-old will take on a co-ownership and rider coaching role with the Bonovo Action BMW team for 2023.

Laverty won 13 races during his career in World Superbikes and pushed Tom Sykes all the way in 2013, when he eventually finished second in the championship.

He was also a two-time runner-up in the World Supersport Championship and competed in the 250cc Grand Prix class and in MotoGP for two seasons.