Paul Jordan reflects on Mike Browne crash at Cookstown 100 and says 'there was nothing I could've done'

Magherafelt rider Paul Jordan is undergoing daily sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to speed up the healing process after breaking his left hand in a crash at the Cookstown 100 last weekend.
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Jordan was caught up in an incident involving Republic of Ireland riders Michael Sweeney and Mike Browne on the first lap of the opening Superbike race at the 2.1-mile Orritor course in Co Tyrone.

Sweeney and Browne came together as they powered away from Gortin corner on the run towards McAdoo Bends.

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And although Sweeney managed to stay upright, Browne went down and the Cork man was struck by Jordan on his 600 Yamaha, who was unable to take evasive action.

Paul Jordan on his Yamaha R6 at the Cookstown 100.Paul Jordan on his Yamaha R6 at the Cookstown 100.
Paul Jordan on his Yamaha R6 at the Cookstown 100.

Burrows Engineering/RK Racing rider Browne sustained two broken ankles in the crash and is will miss the North West 200 next month.

Jordan was released from hospital with his hand in a cast but the Ulster Grand Prix Supertwin race winner is determined to be recovered in time for the North West 200 from May 10-14 ahead of the Isle of Man TT.

Both events are back on the calendar this year for the first time since 2019 after successive cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Jordan – who had earlier finished third in the Supersport race at Cookstown behind Adam McLean and Browne – was due to compete in this weekend’s British Supersport races at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

However, his priority now is to ensure he is in the best shape possible for the North West in three weeks’ time.

“I’ve broken a bone on the top of my left hand and the doctors have given me a timescale of four to five weeks,” said Jordan.

“But I’ve got the cast off and I’m going to Scotland to use the hyperbaric chamber every day. The facility here is only available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but I need to be going every day to make it beneficial.

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“So I’m heading over to Scotland and I’ll stay over there while I’m getting the treatment, added Jordan, who was due to make the trip on Tuesday.

“It was a nasty accident and I was knocked out for a while. I was tucked in behind Richard Charlton on his R1 and he moved out of the way, and once he did that then I had nowhere to go,” he added.

“I had no chance at all of avoiding Mike and it’s one of those racing incidents, but I suppose it could have been worse.

“I’m feeling pretty sore and I just want to try and get myself sorted for the North West now.”

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Jordan is due to ride for the PreZ Racing team this year at the North West and Isle of Man TT on Yamaha machinery in the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport classes, plus a Kawasaki Supertwin.

He had his first outing on the PreZ bikes at last year’s Cookstown 100 after parting company from John Burrows’ team in an amicable split, with Jordan taking a Supersport podium in third spot.

“I’ll get into this chamber every day and hopefully I’ll see a bit of a difference by the end of the week,” Jordan said.

“It’s just bad luck but there wasn’t really anything anyone could’ve done.”

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Tobermore man McLean was also among the fallers on Saturday, with the 26-year-old suffering a concussion when he crashed out of the lead of the feature Superbike race.

McLean, who won the Supersport race on the McAdoo Kawasaki, has been ruled out of this weekend’s Tandragee 100 but will return at the North West 200 for the Cookstown-based team.

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