Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/818175
IN THE WIND P50 RINS HAS SURGERY, OUT FOR AT LEAST SIX WEEKS M otoGP rookie Alex Rins will be out for six weeks following surgery to repair the left wrist he damaged during practice at Circuit of the Ameri- cas last week. The Spaniard crashed hard during a treacherous FP3 at COTA, suffering extensive dam- age to his left arm, including nerve damage. He was oper- ated on by renowned MotoGP surgeon, Dr. Xavier Mir, at the University Hospital Dexeus in Barcelona. "Alex has been operated on for displaced and dislocated left ulna and radius fracture, per- forming an open reduction and internal fixation with two locked titanium plates," said Mir. "Fur- thermore, he underwent a neu- rological test that confirmed an ulnar nerve injury by contusion. Within 10 days he will begin the functional recovery of the wrist and forearm. An electromyog- raphy will also be performed to evaluate the recovery time of the ulnar nerve." Rins' place in the factory Su- zuki Ecstar team will be taken by test rider Takuya Tsuda. CN WELSH GOVERNMENT SLAMS CIRCUIT OF WALES OVER FTR PURCHASE I n yet another turn of bad events for the embat- tled Circuit if Wales, the Welsh government has slammed the track owners for spending nearly a quarter of a $2.59 million government grant for the facility on the purchase of defunct chassis maker FTR. The circuit has seen over $9 million of tax payer investment since the plans surfaced for the venue in 2011, yet the purchase of FTR has been seen by the Wales Audit Office to be "inconsistent with the grant scheme's purpose." Auditor general Huw Vaughan Thomas told the South Wales Argus, "Using public money to sup- port private infrastructure projects in Wales can help boost regeneration and economic development. "In doing so, public financing needs to be man- aged robustly, with proper standards of scrutiny, vigilance and oversight. "It's unfortunate that, in the case of the Circuit of Wales, we have identified significant shortcomings and so the Welsh Government needs to learn from my report, particularly if it decides to provide any further support for the project to progress." The Circuit of Wales has been mired in contro- versy since 2011, and has long been mooted as the venue to replace Silverstone as the home of the British MotoGP. Construction on the venue is still yet to begin. CN He's in good spirits, but Alex Rins has a decent rest ahead of him. There's yet more trouble for the embattled Circuit of Wales.