Castrol Honda rider Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out Sunday’s two sixth-round World Superbike races at Misano after a high-speed crash during the warm-up left him with fractures to his right arm and left collarbone.
Both 24-lap races around the 4.226km circuit were won by Spain’s Carlos Checa as Rea’s Castrol Honda team-mate, Ruben Xaus, brought his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade home in 11th- and eighth-place finishes.
Rea had been searching for an improvement in his machine’s settings after issues in qualifying left him in 11th place after the day’s final Superpole session (pictured, top). The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland was pushing hard in the warm-up before he crashed at approximately 230kph at Misano’s fast turn 11.
Rea was transferred to Ospedale Bufalini in Cesena where the fracture to his right radius and left clavicle were confirmed. With a number of other bumps and bruises, it is doubtful whether he will be able to line up for next weekend’s seventh-round races at Aragon in Spain.
'I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100 per cent' – Jonathan Rea
“Well, the weekend just went from bad to worse, really,” Rea said. “I had a crash yesterday which needed some stitches in my arm and then a 230kph crash this morning at one of the fastest corners on the calendar.
“Of course, I’m frustrated and I have some injuries that I want to take time to heal properly. We’ll have to miss Aragon next week, unfortunately, but Brno [Czech Republic] is a month off and the doctors tell me that the break in my arm would normally keep someone off work for three weeks.
“I’ll try to come back for Brno at 100 per cent, as it’s a circuit that suits me and the bike. I got my first world championship win there and we went 1-2 last year. Thanks to everyone for all the messages of support, it really means a lot and I’m sure it’ll speed up the recovery.”
"Yesterday evening, after all the problems that we had, I asked myself if things could get much worse and then, this morning, I got my answer,” added Rea’s team manager Ronald ten Kate. “Jonathan had a very big crash at the fastest corner on the track. I was very relieved that he was able to walk away but, of course, his injuries will need time to heal. Aragon most likely will not be in the picture but we hope he can be back at Brno, and that that will mark an end to our misery.”
Want more?
- Jonathan Rea's official website, jonathan-rea.com
- Jonathan Rea on Twitter @jonathanrea
- The Inside Line on Jonathan Rea's top five iPod tunes!
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