Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies lucky to leave Silverstone uninjured – MotoGP news
Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies was lucky to leave Silverstone uninjured after a severe crash during AirAsia British Grand Prix.
It was his third ‘did not finish’ status in the ongoing 2011 MotoGP season. Spies scored his first MotoGP podium at the 2010 British event at the revised layout of Silverstone.
Ben Spies said, “The track was really wet, when I hit the brakes going into turn one the front just dropped away and I hit the wall before I knew it. I hit my back pretty badly, my back protector is really busted up, but it did its job.”
Spies faced a serious crash while fighting for a fifth position with his rivals. He was entangled with compatriot Ducati rider Nicky Hayden and Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider, Colin Edwards. Spies was racing at sixth position under wet weather. While he entered
the first corner on lap eight, he lost his front end heading towards the gravel along the track. Instantly he hit the wall smashing his back protector into pieces.
Spies was instantly moved to the circuit’s medical facility and underwent body scans to be diagnosed for any fracture or internal damages. Soon after, he was cleared by the doctors.
The American rider said, “I'm really sore and will probably need a big cushion for a few days but I'm happy it wasn't worse. We'll take a few days to relax and recover then come back fighting at Assen.”
Though Spies’ back is aching and he will need to take rest but he is also happy to escape any serious injury as the accident took place. Now he holds three DNF statuses after Jerez and Estoril. His best finish of the season is third behind his teammate Jorge
Lorenzo at the Catalunya GP.
The American’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo also could not finish the race on a good note. After the crash of Spies, the Spaniard also suffered a crash and severely damaged his bike. Lorenzo was fighting for third place when he faced the fall.
In the pursuit of the Repsol Honda duo of Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso, Lorenzo was pushing his M1 to the limits. Lorenzo’s effort cracked into his first DNF in the 2011 season. It also cost him his lead in the world championship points table.
At the moment, Casey Stoner is leading the table 18 points clear of Lorenzo, who will be looking to get back into the running at the upcoming event at Assen, Netherlands. Let’s see how it transpires.
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