Corser to miss Kyalami round
Added on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Corser to miss Kyalami round
Tory Corser will sit out of this weekend’s World Superbikes round in South Africa after being injured in the first corner carnage that delayed the start of race two at Monza on Sunday.
The BMW rider was one of five injured at the opening chicane during race two at the weekend and, following a high-speed crash in the restarted event, was forced to sit out the rest of the round as a precaution.
Although Corser declared himself “more or less OK” after the accidents, BMW team bosses have advised him to avoid competing at Kyalami due to the short gap between races.
“After the races in Monza on Sunday, Troy and the team sat down together and jointly made the decision that it would be better for him to sit out Kyalami and get fit for USA,” team director Berti Hauser said. “Troy suffered a horrific crash at the start of the first race in Monza and was hit in the back of the neck and head by another bike.
“He then had a high speed tumble in the restart and was probably a little dazed. He was already riding with a cracked bone in his left hand and had to have painkillers and special strapping in order just to compete in Monza.
“Kyalami is a very physical track, very bumpy in places and this would’ve not have helped Troy’s hand get any better. So, with everything that happened in Monza, together with the condition of his hand, the decision was made that Troy would give Kyalami a miss.”
BMW will still field a full team in Kyalami, with Australian test rider Steve Martin to take his place alongside Ruben Xaus.
Corser is the fourth rider to withdraw from round six so far, with Max Neukirchner, Brendan Roberts and Makoto Tamada all being forced to watch from the sidelines. Neukirchner will be replaced by former Suzuki teammate Fonsi Nieto with Gregorio Lavillia replacing Roberts. Kawasaki will not be drafting in a replacement for Tamada.
