Blackburn broke his collarbone in the second corner of the second of three races at the final round of the 2014 nationals in Taupo in March. He had already been suffering a handicap because he had been hindered by an old ankle injury, picked up during the 2010 season.
The two non-finish results at Taupo, coupled with the DNF he suffered when he crashed while leading his 125cc class race at round two of the series in Tokoroa in February, meant Blackburn was able only to complete nine of the competition's 12 races - so it was quite remarkable that he was still able to end the season on the podium, the No3 plate reward for his tenacity in the face of adversity.
But surgery has since put right what ailed him.
"I had long been due for ankle reconstruction surgery anyway because my 2010 injury hadn't healed right. But now I've had both my ankle and shoulder repaired and I feel great again.
"I'm riding a Yamaha YZ250 at the moment, just to get some time on the track, but I hope to be on a Yamaha YZ250F four-stroke to race in the MX2 class later this year.
"My first big race will be at Taupo over Labour Weekend [October 25-26].
"I think I'm ready to step up to the MX2 class.
"I've just got to work between now and then on getting my fitness back to 100 per cent.
"It was hard watching the racing from the sideline these past few months and I'm really looking forward to getting out there again."
