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After riding in Sunday morning AMA Superbike practice, HMC Ducati’s Doug Chandler has decided that he will not race today at Road Atlanta.
“The bruises on his left foot aren’t allowing him to move around on the bike like he wants to,” said HMC Ducati Press Officer Wendy Hogg. “He doesn’t want to aggravate it further and wants to be ready for Pikes Peak.”
Hogg also said that, despite his bruises, a sprained thumb and a sprained ankle, Chandler was really happy that he hit inflatable soft barriers.
“I thought the Air Fence did a really good job. When I hit it, I just bounced off,” Hogg quoted Chandler as saying.
More, from a medical update released by Road Atlanta:
Doug Chandler will miss today’s Superbike race. He has a very bruised left hip, and a sprained left ankle ankle from his crash in Saturday’s qualifying. He missed yesterday’s race as well.
More. from a HMC Ducati press release:
HMC Ducati Rider Doug Chandler will not compete in today’s AMA Superbike race at Road Atlanta due to injuries sustained in a crash during yesterday’s final qualifying session. Despite considerable pain, Chandler rode in this morning’s warm-up session but was forced to retire early. His injuries, which include a dislocated right thumb, a bruised left foot and bruising to the left hip, are all relatively minor but are severely restricting his movement on the bike.
Chandler was running fourth fastest in the qualifying session when he high sided in turn three, coming down hard on his left side before tumbling into the air fence. X-rays at the local hospital showed no sign of bone damage but both rider and team feel it best not to aggravate the injuries and concentrate their attention on Colorado in two weeks.
“I was really happy with the bike’s set-up and handling in the qualifying session,” said Chandler. “We were on a new tire and I was trying to do a good lap. I got a good drive up the hill and got through the kink but I must have been carrying more speed than I normally would have, which is a shame because I already had it in the back of my mind not to mess with that corner, but I was already going through there too fast and the back let go. There’s no room for error [in turn three] and I’d already backed it off a notch, but it obviously wasn’t enough.
“Of all the points to hurt these are the worst ones. Your right hand is your throttle and brake. I can’t lift my leg on the shifter and it’s difficult to move around properly on the bike, so it’s best to leave it for this race and get ready for Colorado.”