Colin Edwards Breaks Collarbone at Catalan GP

There’s something about collarbones in MotoGP right now, as American Colin Edwards broke his right collarbone today, under changing conditions at the Catalan track. With rain coming on early in the day, MotoGP riders got a break on weather, and were able to run slicks in the last part of the Free Practice session. Taking a lap on the slick tires, Edwards came in to change bikes, and on his out-lap, was caught-out on cold rubber, and landed heavily on his shoulder in Turn 5. Unfortunately for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider, his collarbone has been confirmed as broken, and he will have to sit out the Catalan GP and very likely the British GP next week.

After the crash, Edwards was taken to the Dexeus Institute Hospital in Barcelona, where he will undergo surgery performed by Dr. Xavier Mir, who has previously treated Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. With the Silverstone round only a week away, it seems almost certain that Edwards won’t return to MotoGP racing until Assen at the earliest for the Dutch TT, though a later appearance could be possible. No word yet on replacement riders, though it will be tough to find one with World Superbike racing at Misano next weekend as well.

“Unfortunately Colin has broken his right collarbone and this is a big shame for him and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because we were confident he was going to be very strong and competitive this weekend,” said Herve Poncharal, Team Manager for Monster Yamaha Tech 3. “Colin has been superb so far this season and he has shown that even when the competition is probably stronger than ever in MotoGP, he is still one of the fastest out there.”

“It looks like he paid a heavy price for a very small mistake. He landed heavily on his shoulder and it was clear from the TV pictures that he was in a lot of pain. He will have an operation tomorrow morning, so we should have a clearer idea of how long the recovery process will be later this weekend. The important thing now is that he rests and recovers as quickly as he possibly can. We wish him a fast recovery and hope that it is not too long before we see him back in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage.”