Hutchinson caps amazing comeback to win Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix

Twenty-nine operations, bone grafts, a battle just to save his leg - three years of agony were wiped out on Saturday as Ian Hutchinson capped an amazing comeback by winning the 47th Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Englishman was on top of the world in 2010 when he completed a clean sweep of all five solo categories at the Isle of Man TT. But a broken leg suffered in a crash at Silverstone just three months later began an injury nightmare from which he is only now recovering.

Remarkably, Hutchinson was racing for the first time in 18 months, having injured his left leg again last year, suffering a massive infection that required bone grafts and yet more hospital time.

But he showed his recovery was complete, holding off defending champion and eight-time Macau winner Michael Rutter over the demanding Guia circuit. "I've always wanted to win the Macau Grand Prix so it's special just to win it anyway, but in the circumstances it's quite incredible how it feels," said Hutchinson, who insisted he never feared he would not be able to race again.

"I've never, ever thought it's all over, I've just looked for ways round to make it happen again. It's taken a lot of hard work but to have this feeling now, every second I've spent training and doing what I've done to get here has been worth it."

Hutchinson, on his seventh visit to Macau, started the race on pole, but Gary Johnson quickly took the lead, before being reeled in and overtaken by Rutter.

With Rutter's experience and winning record over this track, it seemed that might be it, but Hutchinson got in front on the fifth lap then started relentlessly stretching his lead. When Rutter ran into trouble among backmarkers on the 12th lap it looked all over, and victory was confirmed when the race was stopped on the following lap after an incident elsewhere on the track.