Zak Shelton ‘finding his feet’ as he returns to British Sportbike podium after Knockhill crash recovery

The Mansfield Woodhouse rider has been ‘slowly finding his feet’ over recent weeks following a significant crash at Knockhill back in June.

It was a hefty blow for Shelton, who had enjoyed a successful weekend at Donington Park right before. The XMT Racing ace secured a double-podium finish in Leicestershire, coming second in Race One and first in Race Two – pipping Championship leader Alfie Davidson with a photo finish.

Shelton then crashed out at Scottish circuit Knockhill, while Benjamin Wakenshaw and Kian McDonald were also involved in the incident and sustained hand and ankle injuries respectively.

“I was fine after the crash, just tissue damage in my elbow,” Shelton told Chad. “The bike, however, had to be completely rebuilt, with frame and engine swaps. This was all done in two weeks before the following round at Snetterton.”

Shelton has been working his way back up to his best following the Knockhill crash and celebrated third place at Oulton Park on Sunday, having picked up just 12 points across both Snetterton and Brands Hatch previously. The XMT Racing rider finished behind Asher Durham and Sportbike leader Davidson in Cheshire.

“We qualified eighth, and after some changes to the bike to make me more comfortable, we finished the race in third, picking riders off lap after lap and 0.4 away from the win over the line,” Shelton said.

“It was hard after the crash, you have to switch off from it and that’s something I’m still learning. Crashing is part of the job and you can’t get stuck on it for long. You have to reset and go do the same, but I think it took me longer than it should have to resume as normal. But like I say, it’s something you learn as you become a better rider – how to deal with these things.”

The next round of British Sportbike action will take place at Thruxton in Hampshire across 14-16 August.