If last year it was broken legs in MotoGP, this year it’s fractured collarbones, with three MotoGP riders breaking them in less than four weeks.
Dani Pedrosa in May and still out of action, a heroic Colin Edwards who broke his right one eight days ago, but it’s his ribs that are hurting him the most and none the less he was able to qualify 8th today and now Cal Crutchlow.
The British rider crashed out during his third lap in this afternoon’s qualifying session at Silverstone probably due to a cold tire and sustained a left collarbone fracture and a concussion and will be undergoing surgery at the Oxford Hospital later this evening or early tomorrow.
Hopefully plating Crutchlow’s collarbone will not create any problems to his left shoulder as the Yamaha Tech3 rider underwent shoulder surgery last December to repair damaged ligaments and tendons.
Crutchlow is expected to return for the next round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship at Assen in two weeks time.
Here’s what ‘old dog’ Colin Edwards and Herve Poncharal had to say:“My shoulder feels pretty much perfect but my ribs are killing me and that’s the biggest issue at the moment.
I feel worse physically than I did yesterday but when I crashed at Catalunya I pulled some of the muscle away from my ribs and I’m finding it hard to do anything,” said Edwards.
“If I breathe, cough, sneeze or do anything it hurts.
So on the bike I just don’t have the strength I need to flick the bike in the fast changes of direction.
I’ve got to take my time and be nice and smooth, but to get on the third row is a great result considering this time last week I was lying in a hospital in Barcelona with my right collarbone smashed to pieces.
I’m feeling confident for the race but I know it is going to be a big effort.
But I’ll grit my teeth and do my best as always and show there’s plenty of fight in this old dog.
I was determined to ride this weekend for the Team.
My guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 are awesome and they’ve been an unbelievable support to me in the past few years.
So I want to race and get a good result for them more than anything.
I’m gutted too for Cal.
I know what he’s going through unfortunately and I’m really sorry that he’s going to miss his home race.
I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back giving me a hard time on track in Assen.
”“Cal’s injury is a very big disappointment and I feel really sorry for him because he was desperate to do well in his home race here at Silverstone.
He’s been fast all weekend, so we had high hopes that he could get a good place on the grid and be challenging for the top six in the race.
But track conditions were quite cold and it was obvious from looking at the TV pictures that the tyre wasn’t up to temperature.
He is in pain right now but I think he is more upset than anything else because he wanted to put on a good show for the British fans.
A lot of people have come to support him and he didn’t want to let anybody down.
Our luck seems to have completely deserted us at the moment when you think it was only eight days ago that Colin broke his right collarbone.
I suppose the only small consolation for Cal is that Colin was back on the bike less than a week later, so we are optimistic that Cal will be back for the next race at Assen.
Colin has produced a super human effort to qualify on the third row and his courage and determination has been an inspiration to everybody in the whole Team.
At one stage it looked like he might even finish in the top six, which would have been a great reward for him and his Team.
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