MotoGP: Nicky Hayden Ruled Out of Czech GP

Nicky Hayden is to miss the Brno round of MotoGP. The American fractured a couple of bones in his right hand and suffered a concussion in a big crash at Indianapolis, highsiding his Ducati Desmosedici during qualifying on Saturday. Hayden’s injuries meant that he was unable to race at Indianapolis, and after consulting with doctors and the team, Hayden has been forced to pull out of Brno as well.

The injury to his right hand is the most obvious problem, the pain and swelling (as shown in a picture Hayden posted on his Twitter page) making it impossible to ride at 100%, given that the right hand needs to operate both throttle and brake.

If Hayden had raced and crashed at Brno, he risked displacing the fractured bones and making the injury much worse, which would have put him out of action for even longer. Hayden is currently expected to return to racing at Misano in three weeks’ time. His participation in the private Ducati test at Misano scheduled after Brno is currently uncertain.

Nicky Hayden will not be replaced at Brno, so Valentino Rossi will be the sole-rider for the factory Ducati MotoGP team. With two races on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean on consecutive weekends, and World Superbikes on the same weekend as Brno, finding a rider who is fit, qualified and available is too much to arrange at such short notice for Ducati Corse.

This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.