JAMES Ellison will be hoping to make a speedy recovery after breaking his wrist at Thruxton as his British Superbikes hard luck story continued.

The 34-year-old from Kendal crashed at high speed after losing control of his bike in an oil spill while chasing the leading pack in race one on the Hampshire circuit.

Now the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider faces a race against time to be fit for the next round of races at Cadwell Park - but definitely wants to return for the Showdown finish where extra points will be up for grabs in the last three rounds of the season.

It was another bitter blow for Ellison who has been plagued injury and mechanical problems since leading the championship after his double victory at Brands Hatch back in April.

He suffered two broken ribs after crashing in practice at Snetterton and did not finish at Knockhill before returning to the podium with a third place finish on the GP track at Brands Hatch last month.

Despite the setbacks, Ellison remains upbeat and is hoping to be on the starting grid at Cadwell on the bank holiday weekend of August 21-23.

“It’s going to be a race against time to get back for Cadwell," said Ellison. "But I’ve done it before and we’re still third in the championship so I’m pretty confident that whether it’s Cadwell or Oulton we’ll still make the Showdown.

"I’m just gutted for the whole team, they work so hard and didn’t deserve this either."

Ellison said the crash itself was probably the fastest he had been involved in.

He was battling towards the front of the pack when he was unfortunate enough to be right behind Richard Cooper when his engine blew, causing oil to spill all over the track.

The slippery surface caused Ellison to lose control as crash at high speeds, with his machine disappearing over the safety barriers at the edge of the circuit.

“It was possibly the fastest crash I’ve ever had, and the result is a broken left wrist. It’s gutting and we seem to never have any luck," said Ellison who was leading the championship after his Brands Hatch double. "Just like Snetterton, it was a crash through no fault of our own which has given us a big setback."

Ellison confirmed that it was a clean break and has seen a specialist in order to see whether he will need a plate or not.

Prior to his crash at Snetterton in a mixed-weather qualifying session, Ellison won three of the opening six races of the year to boost his hopes of a first British Superbikes title.

Despite suffering four non-finishes since that crash, and missing the second race at Thruxton, Ellison it still third in the championship – although he trails leader Josh Brookes by 119 points.