From a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki:

JR pays tribute to friends and fans of Rizla Suzuki

BRITISH Superbike Champion John Reynolds says `thank you’ to the friends of Rizla Suzuki who helped him to return to the UK over the weekend and also to his legions of fans that have inundated the team HQ with well wishes.

JR broke his right leg in a testing accident at Valencia in Spain on Friday. He was flown to England by private jet yesterday and is now undergoing treatment at the Queens Medical Facility in his hometown of Nottingham.

“All I can say is a big thank you to everyone,” explained JR. “I wouldn’t have got home to England as quickly as I did if it wasn’t for Rizla Suzuki’s team friends. Jonathan Palmer from Motor Sport Vision arranged a private aircraft to collect me in Valencia and Stuart Higgs from the MCRCB liased with the hospital and sorted an ambulance once we landed.

“As a result of these efforts and the hard work of the team, I’m now home and in a position to get the best treatment possible. My thanks also go to the two pilots John Scurr and John Daly for their smooth landing!

“I am humbled by the messages of support and well wishes from the Superbike race fans. Thank you to everyone for their kind words and support, they have and will continue to help me more than you can imagine.”

JR will undergo surgery to repair his broken right leg today. The team will consult with the specialists after this operation to determine the likely recovery time required.

Stuart Higgs, MCRCB’s Race Director for the British Superbike series said: “Our first concern is for JR’s health and we assisted the team in making the necessary ground arrangements to take him directly to the Queens Medical Facility from the airport. I am delighted we could help and wish him the speediest of recoveries.”

Rizla Suzuki Team Manager Robert Wicks said: “Thank you to Jonathan Palmer, Stuart Higgs, the Rizla Suzuki team staff – in particular Niall Mackenzie who flew back to the UK with John yesterday – and everyone who has helped us to get JR back to the UK so expediently. It means JR is receiving specialist treatment and that gives him the best chance to return to racing as early as possible.”

Rizla Suzuki Team Owner Paul Denning said: “Despite the less than ideal circumstances, Rizla Suzuki is very grateful to its friends and the broader Superbike family for coming together to help at this difficult time. That includes the many generous offers of assistance from fans of the team – thank you all. My particular thanks to Jonathan Palmer who accepted our calls at 11pm on a Friday night and got the job done with no questions asked. We can’t say exactly what John’s recovery time will be at this stage, but we’ve come back fighting in the past and intend to do so again.”