Road Racer Reinstated After Drugs Ban, But is the Matter Settled?
A rider banned from the Manx GP earlier this year will be reinstated by the ACU, who vowed to make its drugs testing process as accurate as possible
Alex Sinclair was banned from the event when the ACU claimed he had fallen victim to a positive test for a recreational drug. But after managing to prove his innocence, the ban has been overturned.
But that’s still not sat well with the Welsh racer who admits he is still ‘baffled’ by the entire situation. Sinclair went through personal measures to prove his innocence which has led to the ACU reconsidering its drug testing approach.
He told Manx Radio: “I had a negative hair test sample. That got sent to the ACU. They tried to argue it. They wanted to take a test of my B-sample from the Manx itself. But my argument was that I never actually took a B-sample, they poured my A-sample into the B-sample pot after saying it could be contaminated.
“We suggested they get their own hair sample, which they have. They took a while to get back to us with the results. We had our own hair sample tested and it came back negative. They’ve said they will give me my licence back. I am still a bit baffled by the situation. It has been very stressful and upsetting. Even though I’ve got my licence back, it doesn’t feel resolved.”
Sinclair also admitted he doesn’t know whether he will race the 2025 Isle of Man TT due to the way he was treated by the ACU.
In response to handing Sinclair his licence back, the ACU has confirmed it will use a different method to test drug samples going forward.
A letter from the ACU Events to the road racer said: “We have decided to use a different form of testing moving forward to ensure that the testing process is as reliable and accurate as possible.
"We remain committed to ensuring the safety and integrity of the sport, and we will continue to work closely with our sponsors and competitors to maintain the highest standards of fairness and transparency."
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
