Manxman Dan Kneen has today been officially ruled out of TT 2016 after the race medical team said his injured arm had not healed sufficiently for him to compete.

Kneen suffered an arm injury at the beginning of May after falling off his mountain bike and had to sit out the North West 200 following surgery. The 28-year-old has been working hard on his recovery ever since, undergoing intensive physiotherapy sessions as well as daily visits to the hyperbaric chamber near his home on the Isle of Man.

With practice for the TT due to commence on Saturday Kneen underwent a medical with Dr Gruff Evans today but unfortunately the event CMO deemed him not to have recovered sufficiently to compete on his Mar-Train Yamahas.

“I have tried everything possible to get myself fit again for the TT but unfortunately time is just not on our side. I had kept positive right up until today that I would make it but the reality is it is just too soon. I can only apologise to the team, YMUK and all my personal sponsors, to miss out on the TT is especially hard to take as a Manxman as I am sure everyone can appreciate,” said Kneen.

“Everything was going perfectly up until the injury, the bikes were superb and I really had a chance of a result but it just wasn’t meant to be. My focus now is on completing my recovery and bouncing back at the Southern 100 to try and repay the team for the work they have put in. I would just like to thank my physio Ruth Cooil and all the staff at the hyperbaric chamber on the Isle of Man for doing everything they could to try and get me back on the bikes they have been superb.”