Ivan Lintin: 'Fantastic' return to firefighting after bike crash

Ivan Lintin had won two TT titles on the Isle of Man before the four-bike crash at the Southern 100 races in 2018

A motorbike racer who was almost killed in a crash on the Isle of Man has described returning to his job as a firefighter as a "fantastic feeling".

Ivan Lintin, 36, from Lincolnshire was involved in a four-bike accident in the Southern 100 races in July 2018, which killed his friend James Cowton.

He was placed in a coma and airlifted to a brain injuries unit in Liverpool.

After learning to walk again, he has passed a fitness test to return to his role as a part-time firefighter.

Mr Lintin said he thought he would never be able to return to the fire service.

"Being a retained fireman was one of the last sort of things to try and do again," he said.

"If you had the list of injuries and where the bleeds were in the head and bits and bobs, the partner and parents were told I might not be able to talk and I might not walk again and I might not this and might not that.

"Until I came out of the coma and they started to bring me round and rehabilitate me, they didn't know how good I was going to be."

'40mph scared me'

Mr Lintin took up motorcycle racing as a boy and before his crash in 2018 had won two TT titles on the Isle of Man in 2015 and 2016, reaching speeds of more that 200 mph.

He suffered multiple injuries in the Southern 100 races crash and had to have metal rods inserted in his legs.

He also had to learn how to walk again after spending a year on crutches.

Mr Lintin returned to work as an engineer in a Lincoln factory 11 months after being discharged from hospital when he became bored "pottering about" at home.

He has not raced since the accident and said he found it difficult getting back on a road bike.

"Originally when I got on, 40-50 mph on a little scooter going to work scared me," he said.

"I was like, 'I don't know if I can do this'. Then you look back and think what we used to do.

"You think, how on earth we got to that level and went the speeds we went and did what we did."