Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden’s disappointing 2011 season got a little worse when he ended it by breaking his left scapula (shoulder blade) and two ribs in a riding accident at an indoor track near his home in Owensboro, Kentucky on Tuesday, Dec. 27. And the injury could impact his 2012 campaign if it prevents him from taking part in the first test of the season at the end of January in Sepang, Malaysia.
Hayden was aboard his Honda XR100 when he came up on a slower rider who clipped his front wheel while trying to move out of the way. The 2006 MotoGP World Champion had both an X-ray and CAT scan on the day of the accident, and also a follow-up MRI. After consulting with his surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting, the decision was made to forego surgery, though Hayden will visit Ting in Fremont, California next week, ten days after the accident. The results of that examination will determination Hayden’s recovery. The scapula is surrounded by muscle, which makes recovery from surgery even longer,, which is why it’s best avoided.
Hayden’s racing season ended when he broke his right scaphoid after being knocked down, along with teammate Valentino Rossi, in the first corner of the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix. That incident prevented him from taking part in the post-season Valencia test of Ducati’s new Desmosedici GP12 with the perimeter chassis. It also required surgery, from which he’d fully recovered.
Hayden’s father, Earl, and older brother, Tommy, were with him when he crashed at the track about 45 minutes from his home. Cycle News
“Obviously, injuries are never good, but it’s part of motorcycle racing,” the 2006 MotoGP champion said. “Just like at Valencia, it was kind of a freak accident.
“I was starting to train again, like I normally do during the winter, at a private track near my house. I came up behind another rider, and he went to move out of the way.
“I wasn’t going that fast, but he clipped my front wheel and I went down and landed pretty hard on my left shoulder, and that was it.
“It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing to do about it but heal quickly. Anyway, this doesn’t change my expectations for 2012 which, fortunately, is just around the corner.” Yahoo! Eurosport UK
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