Former BQR Honda and Repsol Honda 250cc Grand Prix World Championship rider Martin Cardenas will once again fill in for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s injured rider Michael Barnes during the AMA Superbike series event June 1-3 at Road America. Barnes broke the scaphoid bone and suffered ligament damage in his right wrist when he crashed on the warm-up lap of the AMA Formula Xtreme race May 19 at Infineon Raceway. Cardenas, who was already entered and qualified for the AMA Supersport race at Infineon Raceway, was asked to abandon his privateer Kawasaki and ride Barnes’ GSX-R600 in Sunday’s Supersport race. With only the 20-minute Sunday morning warm-up to acclimate himself to the foreign machine, Cardenas went faster than he had all weekend on his own bike and in spite of starting 20th finished 12th in the race. As a result, the Colombian was asked to ride Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s GSX-R600s in both Formula Xtreme and Supersport this weekend in Wisconsin. “It’s not a good scenario when you lose one of your main guys,” said Team M4 EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry, “but we will use this as an opportunity to try out a young up-and-coming rider, if you can call Martin that. “Considering he didn’t get anything but a warm-up and thrown into the race at Infineon, he kept the situation under control and was deserving of another shot with some actual practice on the bikes.” Barnes, meanwhile, underwent surgery May 29 at the hands of Dr. Steve Augustine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Barnes told Roadracingworld.com that the surgery to screw together his fractured scaphoid and relocate some ligaments in his wrist was successful and that he would be working toward a goal of returning at Laguna Seca July 20-22.
Cardenas To Ride In Place Of Injured Barnes Again, At Road America
Cardenas To Ride In Place Of Injured Barnes Again, At Road America
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