Robertino Pietri Statement Regarding Barber Motorsport Park Crash In Superbike qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park last Saturday, Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Robertino Pietri was involved in a collision with Roger Hayden of the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki team. Pietri, the 2006 FMV Venezuelan National Superbike Champion and the 2006 FIM Latin American Superbike Champion, collided with Hayden as the two were both working through slower riders and both Pietri and Hayden crashed. Hayden suffered significant injuries in the fall. Pietri suffered bruising and an arm injury but was able to race in Superstock on Sunday. “I was trying to pass a slower rider that was between me and Roger, and I went in pretty deep into the corner,” said Pietri. “I was pretty sure I was going to make the corner, I was quite strong there all weekend, but I never thought I would close that quickly on Roger. I have a lot of respect for him as a rider and he’s on a factory bike and I just didn’t believe I’d close quite that fast. “I lost him in my peripheral vision and I hit his swingarm. There wasn’t much I could do at that point,” said Pietri, who apologized repeatedly to Hayden on the scene and also apologized later to Roger’s father Earl Hayden and to Kawasaki team manager Mike Preston. “I’m completely sorry for what happened. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for Roger and that’s the last thing I wanted to have happen. In 11 or 12 years of racing, I’ve never had anything like that happen and I try to race in a responsible manner. It was one of those racing situations, but I feel really terrible about it. I hope Roger makes a swift recovery and he’s in my thoughts.” A published report stated that Pietri, who has raced in World Superbike as a wild-card entry, was using the Superbike qualifying session as additional practice for Superstock. This was not the case and ‘Tino planned to race both Superbike events at Barber. He did not race on Saturday because the crash with Hayden destroyed his primary racebike. He missed Sunday’s Superbike race, due to equipment issues caused by another, unrelated solo crash of his spare bike on the last lap of the Superstock race, while he was contesting fourth place. “I wish the reporter had asked me about that before assuming something,” Pietri said. “But he’s one of those guys who always does that kind of thing. If he doesn’t like you or your team he just makes something up and puts it in there without checking. We have guys like that in Venezuela and now we have one here in the U.S. But that’s not important now. What is important is that Roger recover completely and comes back to the racetrack. Again I say, I am very, very sorry this happened.” And now, some feedback from an eyewitness: Greetings. First, allow me to congratulate Chris Ulrich on his podium finish at Barber. Excellent job! I’d like to address anyone saying anything negative about Robertino Pietri. I’ve included my photos as attachments of the tail end of the crash. They clearly show Robertino rushing over to check on Roger and never leaving his side until he was inside the ambulance. I believe this to be a racing incident. A terrible, sad one, but one none the less. I hope anybody who wasn’t there can let these images set the record straight. Edward Kustoff North Little Rock, Arkansas