Former Northampton motorsports coach who had a stroke during routine operation pens book

A local man whose life as a motorcycling enthusiast and expert was altered by a debilitating stroke has put pen to paper about his sporting passion.

Andy Ibbott, who is currently studying for a foundation degree in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Northampton, was undergoing a routine operation in 2011 when he suffered a stroke.

The student, who has previously coached motorsports world champions, spent six months in various hospitals attempting to regain his speech and walk as much as possible.

Andy also appeared in a BBC TV programme about people who have a disability or impairment attempting to get back into work.

Now, he has added authorship to his post-stroke accomplishments by writing ‘Moto GP: Performance Riding Techniques’, which is a manual that covers motorsport track riding techniques and is a fully revised and updated version of the book he published in 2009.

Andy said: “I’m many years into my recovery now and can see the lighter side of things. So, I joke I’m the man with half a brain, because only 50 percent of it works as it did, pre-stroke.

“I like to keep that half 100 percent occupied as much as possible, so writing the book has really helped and I’m very proud to have finished it and I thank the Changemaker Hub (part of the University of Northampton) for all their support.

“In a former life, I was a bit of an expert in the field of motorsports, so writing about it has helped keep my brain busy and I hope other motorsports fans appreciate it, too.”

Andy completed the 'Enterprise Boost', which is a start-up programme that the university offers to all its students, which gave him access to workshops to help with his business idea.

Message from the editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you