Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas’ actions immediately prior to his crash in Sunday’s AMA Supersport race were consistent with a rider who had lost his brakes, according to veteran racers riding beside and behind the Colombian at the time of his crash. “We went through the [Turn Three] chicane,” said Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp. “I was on the outside of Cardenas going into it. Then we went through it. Then he came up the inside of me as we were going toward Turn Five. As he came by me he bumped into me around the big left sweeper. I don’t remember what exactly hit me, if his elbow hit me or his fairing hit me or his brake lever hit me or what, but something hit me or my bike. “But it’s funny, I looked over, because he was so close, and his brake lever was still there. I know that for sure. I went to grab the brakes, and I saw his hand go to grab for the brakes. Then the next thing I know he veers off to the left. “We went for the brakes at the exact same time, then he just leaned off the bike to the left. I’ve lost my brakes before and I’ve done the exact same thing where you lean it and try to get out of the way. That’s what it looked like he was doing.” “I must have been four or five bikes behind him,” Rockwall Honda’s Aaron Gobert said of Cardenas. “I just remember seeing a dude pull out to the left. I thought, ‘Ah, somebody’s going for a big move on the brakes. Hang on for a second. He’s not even stopping!’ And then I went, ‘Hang on, this is going to be big.’ Then I saw him go sideways and he went into the dirt. Luckily, he threw it down.” After crashing, Cardenas slid into Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden, knocking him down with his body. Both riders suffered serious leg injuries in the incident. Hayden had surgery Sunday night on his dislocated left ankle. Cardenas was in surgery at post time having a rod inserted into his broken left femur. AMA officials examined the brake system on Cardenas’ GSX-R600 after the crash and found it to be in working order. Get well messages can be sent to Cardenas (www.martincardenas.com) and Hayden (www.tommyhayden.com) via their websites. More, from a press release issued by M4 EMGO Suzuki: CARDENAS UNDERGOES SURGERY Motorcycle racer Martin Cardenas of Team M4 EMGO Suzuki is undergoing surgery today (Monday) to place a rod in his broken left femur. Cardenas was injured in a crash on the opening lap of the Supersport race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Sunday. The Colombian lost control of his GSX-R600 and fell off, and his body hit Tommy Hayden and his Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. The cause of the racing incident is not yet clear and Martin has been under sedation much of the time since the crash. Cardenas did say that he didn’t have any brakes and that he had made contact with another rider immediately before reaching the corner where he crashed. AMA officials examined the bike after it came in on the crash truck and found that the front brake system was functional, with the lever intact and all brake pads in place; the brakes operated as they should when the lever was pulled. Camera footage of the incident shows Cardenas trying to steer the bike off the inside of the track to avoid hitting other riders. One possible explanation is that a tankslapper kicked the brake pads back into the calipers and thus the former 250cc Grand Prix World Championship racer got no braking response from pulling the lever as he approached the corner; he may have been unable to pump the lever quickly enough to avoid a crash. “The AMA tech guys inspected the bike and its systems. Our brakes worked afterward,” said Crew Chief Keith Perry. “Some onboard footage indicates that Martin was hit, but we don’t know if that’s what caused the crash or some if headshake might have made the pads go back into the calipers or something else. It’s clear Martin grabbed the brake, but we don’t know if the brakes didn’t work or if he was just in the grass without traction. We’re still trying to piece it all together.” Tommy Hayden was also injured in the crash. Team M4 EMGO Suzuki offers Tommy and the entire Hayden family sincere apologies as well as wishing him a full and swift recovery.