David Knight has been forced to withdraw from the ISDE in 2012.

British hard man David Knight has been forced to withdraw from this year’s International Six Days Enduro due to ongoing problems following his crash on day one of the Enduro World Championship’s GP of Finland on 1 September.

Acting on the advice of doctors, Knight, who spent one night in hospital as a precautionary measure following his fall on the enduro test in Finland, has been forced to take the difficult decision not to race.

Undergoing further blood tests in Manchester on his arrival back in the UK it was found that Knight has issues with a low red blood cell count, resulting in a lack of oxygen in his blood.

With more tests scheduled during the coming days, needed in order to identify the exact reason for the problems, Knight has been advised to keep away from competition until the cause of the problem is identified, and suitable treatment issued.

“I’m absolutely gutted about this, it’s such a disappointment,” Knight said. “Everything is ready to go for the six days and now I’m unable to compete. The ISDE is an event I love, and one in which I’ve enjoyed a great deal of success.

“I was really looking forward to competing in Germany with the British team, and with conditions likely to be to my liking I was focused on a really strong result. It’s going to be tough staying at home when I know I should be racing.

“But feeling like I do, and with the doctors not knowing why I have so little oxygen in my blood, there’s no option but to rest. My goal now is to work on getting fit and healthy.

“Once we’ve got to the bottom of the problem I hope that it will only take four or five weeks to turn things around. There’re only a few races left before the end of the season and I want to be at my best for those.”

Knight is a former multiple-time World Enduro Champion and American GNCC title winner.