Toseland announces retirement from racing after wrist injury

The British rider, a double world champion in Superbikes, injured his right wrist during a testing crash at Aragon in Spain, and was warned that the damage could be career-threatening.

Although he returned to racing in WSBK after the crash, he struggled with his wrist and then crashed during the Nurburgring race, after which he was advised to stop racing for his own safety.

"The easiest way to explain it is that I don't have enough range of movement in my wrist to race professionally and no amount of physiotherapy is going to improve that," Toseland wrote on his website.

"This all led to the verdict was that it's no longer safe for me to continue a career in motorcycle racing.

"I have to put the safety of the other riders on track first, as well as thinking about my own safety. Knowing that I will never again be fully fit to race at the highest level, it's also unfair for me to occupy a great seat in WSBK that a young, talented rider who is fully fit could take better advantage of."

Toseland made his MotoGP debut in 2008, but left the category at the end of 2010 after a couple of difficult seasons with the Tech 3 Yamaha team.

The 30-year-old returned to Superbikes this year with BMW.

"Obviously, the decision has been a difficult one and it's been really hard to take the advice of my consultant and admit defeat on this occasion but I really have no other option left at this stage," he added.

"I've tried everything possible for the last few months but the sad truth is that none of it has worked and my wrist will never fully heal enough for me to operate the throttle properly and navigate right hand turns.

"You have been amazing in the best and worst times of my career and it's been almost like having a second family to support me through my career. So, thank you for everything and I hope that I have done you proud."