IN
THE
WIND
P22
HONDA WINS SUZUKA AGAIN
F
or the second year in a
row the MuSASHi RT
HARC-PRO team of Takumi
Takahashi, Leon Haslam and
Michael van der Mark won
the Suzuka 8 Hour Endur-
ance Road Race. The team
prevailed in challenging con-
ditions.
A heavy downpour of rain
just before the scheduled
race start meant the start of
the 37th edition of the Su-
zuka 8 Hour was delayed
until 12:35 p.m. local time,
resulting in shortened race
duration of six hours and 55
minutes. As the rain fell, the
riders lined up for the tradi-
tional 'Le Mans' style start and
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY
OF
BRIDGESTONE
HAYDEN OUT FOR INDY, BRNO
N
icky Hayden will miss the Red
Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix
on August 10 and also the fol-
lowing round of the series in the
Czech Republic on August 17 as
he continues to recuperate from
the wrist surgery he underwent on
July 17 in San Diego, California.
The M7 Drive Honda team an-
nounced last week that Hayden
will be replaced in those two rac-
es by Leon Camier, the Brit who
has been a fill in rider for BMW
Motorrad Italia and MV Agusta
Reparto Corse in this year's
World Superbike Championship.
"Although undergoing surgery
is not usually a positive thing -
not least because you lose a
lot of time - I'm happy with how
the operation went last week,"
Hayden said via a team release.
"Sometimes it is difficult, but we
know that injuries are part of our
sport and we must learn to man-
age them. Everyone knows that
my wrist has been causing me
problems, especially at recent
races. I underwent an opera-
tion in June, which helped me to
complete the first half of the sea-
son, but the truth is I've been rid-
ing with a lot of discomfort, and
have been unable to perform at
my best. So, together with the
team, we decided to make an
important decision and undergo
a larger operation to treat an in-
jury that comes from three years
ago - when I broke my scaphoid
and did not heal well."
Hayden had his first exami-
nation since the surgery this
Tuesday, July 22, and although
the Kentucky Kid is on track for
recovery he will have to be side-
lined a bit longer.
"According to Dr. Chao the
operation was a success and I
am very happy, and focusing on
my recovery," Hayden said. "My
Takumi Takahashi teamed with Leon Haslam and Michael van der
Mark to win the Suzuka 8 Hours for the second straight year.
