Cycle News

IN THE WIND P42 MOTOGP'S WALKING WOUNDED W ith Bradley Smith a reluctant spectator at his home GP at Silverstone, September 3-4, injuries haunted the grid as the season moves into its most in- tensive period, many of the worst sustained in training or testing accidents. In MotoGP, Jack Miller was back after missing two races due to sustaining a fractured T6 verte- brae and wrist fractures in Austria. Andrea Dovizioso was limping and undergoing intensive physio- therapy after a seemingly innocu- ous tumble in private Ducati tests at Misano left him with wrenched knee ligaments. Danilo Petrucci was looking second-hand after a road acci- dent on his father's scooter as he returned from the barbershop. He had been hit by a car and suffered extensive road rash. But Smith was the worst hurt, likely to miss several more races, and possibly the rest of the sea- son, after a serious knee injury left him requiring surgery to repair badly damaged ligaments. He was helping Yamaha's unsuccessful attempt to lift the World Endurance title from serial winners Suzuki at the Oschersle- ben 8 Hours after they had won at Suzuka, but another rider's bike slammed into him after a tumble in free practice, and its fork leg caused a major injury to Smith's right leg. He was helicoptered to hospital where the wound was closed with 15 stitches, but the ligament damage will be more complicated to repair. In Moto2, Alex Rins' title hopes took a serious blow when the Spaniard broke his right collar- bone in a training fall from a mere 100cc practice bike. He was at Silverstone but seriously ham- pered, after "my mechanics" fitted a plate with six screws. Swiss Moto2 rider Dominique Aegerter was also out of the Brit- ish GP and probably two or three more races after suffering multiple injuries in a motocross crash, the worst of them to shoulder liga- ments. His place was taken by Spanish teenager Iker Lecuona. Smith's absence left a dream opening for Alex Lowes, identical twin brother of Moto2 star Sam, whose victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours had already been rewarded with a first outing on the Monster Yamaha at post-Brno tests. Now he joined fellow-Suzuka winner Pol Espargaro for the GP, and impressed from the start, local track knowledge notwith- standing. Lowes placed 16th in free prac- tice, less than a second down on his teammate, then actually led Q1 for a spell on a streaming track, although his first wet MotoGP experience had been less than an hour earlier in FP4. "I hoped there was a chance to get through to Q2," he said. "I can't be too unrealistic as this is my first weekend on a MotoGP bike…but as a racer, I always want to do better." Michael Scott Bradley Smith put on a brave face for the Silverstone crowd but was clearly in agony.

• Cover