Win or lose, it won't matter so much for Ian Hutchinson at tomorrow's 45th running of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, not after he nearly lost his left leg in a motorbike accident a year ago.
Just being back on his trusty Yamaha is victory enough for the Englishman who 12 months ago had to convince surgeons not to amputate his leg.
Hutchinson broke his leg in several places in September 2010 when he fell during a British Supersport Championship race at Silverstone. Several riders had also fallen victim to the wet conditions, but unluckily for Hutchinson, he was struck by another rider as he lay on the track.
'The surgeons wanted to take my leg off and I had to fight against it. Thankfully they didn't amputate,' said Hutchinson on his return to competitive action for the first time since the accident.
Hutchinson still doesn't have full control of his left leg, so much so that his team has been forced to modify his bike, swapping the lever for the brakes for the back wheel on to the right side of his Swan Yamaha 1000cc beast.
It worked like a dream, with the 32-year-old rider recording the third-fastest lap time during free practice.
'My left leg hasn't fully healed and we have had to do some modifications. It is just great to be back on the bike and to return to Macau. It is almost like starting all over again for me,' Hutchinson said. 'I have been out of racing for a year and this return is a huge boost for me.'