Cal Crutchlow will turn to his very own 'chamber of secrets' in a bid to recover as swiftly as possible from his latest bone break.
MotoGP star Crutchlow produced an astonishing performance in the British round of the championship at Silverstone on Sunday.
After dislocating and fracturing his left ankle in two places in a practice crash the day before, Crutchlow overcame excruciating pain to finish sixth after starting from last on the grid.
It earned the Isle of Man rider the acclaim of the thousands of British fans who had turned out to cheer him on, and the respect of his Tech 3 Yamaha team.
But now the race is on for Crutchlow to get fit in double-quick time to limit the amount of discomfort he faces over the next few races, with the next in Assen on July 1.
To aid his recovery Crutchlow will turn to a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at Noble's Hospital on the Isle of Man he previously used two years ago when he dislocated a knee.
"It's a free facility, charity donated, and a fantastic thing to have on your doorstep," Crutchlow told Press Association Sport.
"We call it the chamber of secrets. It helps with the recovery process, with the swelling, and means I don't require surgery. It's remarkable."
Crutchlow visited the hospital yesterday on three occasions for 90-minute treatments at a time, and will continue doing so over the course of the next few days before travelling to Holland.
"I've a busy week ahead trying to recover," added Crutchlow.
"But being a typical motorcycle racer, I've been told eight to 10 weeks without any weight bearing, but I take that as eight to 10 hours.
"I'm trying to walk on it a little. I've an aircast boot, which is the equivalent of a plaster cast, but one you can take on and off and you can walk on it.
"If I can I intend to be cycling by Friday. I'm not someone who can sit around and do nothing. That's my problem.
"I can move my ankle, but the problem is weight bearing through the leg is really tough because the bone is broken inside. That is where the sore point is.
"I've now a long week to Assen, but this is unfortunately part of the job. We all know the risks."
Crutchlow has admitted he felt compelled to ride for the fans on Sunday, in particular after being forced to sit out last year's race after fracturing his collarbone.
Without a doubt he has proven his worth, not only to a potential suitor should they come calling, but also to Yamaha if the powers that be inside the team had any doubts about his ability.
Crutchlow added: "Before the weekend started I'd been mentioned in line for a works ride, but whether it will happen and who it's with, I don't know.
"We know the Honda seat (to be vacated by retiring champion Casey Stoner at the end of the year) has been taken by Marc Marquez.
"It was an option for me, but that's out of the question now, so we'll see.
"I know what I can do on a motorcycle, and I know what I can do with Yamaha. I'd like to stay with them.
"First and foremost I want to speak to them and see what their position is because I've had four very good years with them.
"They stuck by me during what was a tough year last year, so I'll see what they want to do and from that we'll make some decisions."
Aside from healing from his injury, Crutchlow has one other goal in mind, to see 100,000 signatures collected on a government e-petition he is promoting by 2pm on Saturday.
Crutchlow is determined to see biker-related questions are made compulsory on a driving test to ensure ordinary motorists are more aware of motorcyclists on the road once they pass.
Although bikers account for just one per cent of road traffic, they make up 20% of all fatalities on the roads.
Approaching 70,000 signatures on bikerpetition.co.uk, Crutchlow said: "It's something I've supported from the start.
"Cars are not aware of motorcycles, so we should try and make the question a compulsory one.
"Hopefully we can change things and make it safer for people to ride motorcycles on the roads."
