A Kent superbike star is still fighting for his life after suffering bruising and swelling to his brain following a crash with a safety car during a race.

Steve Mercer, 36, from Maidstone, was involved in the collision during a qualifying race for the Isle of Man TT last Wednesday, on an evening where fellow rider Dan Kneen was tragically killed in a separate incident.

He was flown by air ambulance to Nobles Hospital on the island before subsequently being moved to Liverpool, having suffered a series of injuries to his pelvis, leg, ankle, heel, back, neck and voice box.

The rider had surgery on Thursday morning which "went as well as the doctors could have hoped at this stage", according to his wife, Caroline, but still remains in a critical condition almost a week after the smash.

Mrs Mercer said: "Unfortunately Steve wasn’t able to have his breathing tube removed as his condition deteriorated over the last few days but he’s being very well looked after by the critical care teams he’s with.

"An MRI scan has told us that he has bruising/swelling to his brain stem which is causing problems in the passing of information from his brain to the rest of his body.

"It is just a waiting game now to see how he recovers when the swelling goes down."

Race organisers have since launched an investigation into how the crash happened, while safety rules have also been changed to ensure races stop entirely whenever there is an incident on the course.

Since the crash, the sport has united to send wishes of recovery to the Kent star, who has recorded 16 top-20 finishes at the TT and has lapped the course at some 129mph.

A spokesperson for his team, Jackson Racing, said: "Our thoughts are with Steve, Caroline, Daniel, Alex and family."

Mrs Mercer also thanked well-wishers for their comments over the past week, adding in a Facebook post: "When he is awake enough I am still passing on your messages of love and support."