Josh Hayes had a rough weekend chasing his first AMA Supersport Championship at the AMA season finale this past weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. First, Hayes suffered a highside so big coming out of Turn Two that most who saw it likened it to “an old school 500cc GP highside.” In that fall, Hayes broke bones in both his feet. He came back hours later, however, to take pole position for the Supersport race with a new lap record. Then just before the start of the Supersport race, Hayes’ CBR600RR broke an electrical cable that prevented it from starting via its electric starter motor. That was fixed, and Hayes proceeded to battle for the lead in the Supersport race until lap seven when he crashed big in Turn Six, causing the race to be stopped and Josh Hayes fans everywhere to hold their breath because the Mississippi rider was motionless in the gravel trap. The only news available at the track prior to the end of the day was that Hayes was awake and alert when he was transported to a local hospital. Roadracingworld.com followed up by calling the two-time AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Tuesday to see how he was doing. “Actually, considering everything I went through, I’m doing pretty darn good,” said Hayes, who was treated and released from the hospital Sunday night and traveled to his home in Mississippi, on schedule, on Monday. “I still have two broken feet, but other than that I’m just banged up with normal crash stuff. I’m pretty bruised and sore, but I can walk, I can get around.” Asked about the crash, Hayes said, “I’m a little foggy. The only thing, I don’t know if it was bad judgment on my part or what but I remember I ended up on the curbing going into the corner. I was wondering if I was gonna make it. I was out by the edge of the track and the rear wheel stepped out one way and then came back the next.” Hayes said Jamie Hacking had nothing to do with his crash. Other than losing his long-shot chance at winning the AMA Supersport Championship, Hayes said he was “bummed because I was supposed to ride with Melissa [Paris, Hayes’ fiancée] and Steven Breckenridge in the WERA endurance race at Road Atlanta.” In the meantime, Hayes said he would get surgery on his broken left foot at the hands of Dr. Douglas Elleby, a podiatrist and the father of Rockwall Honda’s Ryan Elleby, “so I’ll be able to stand up at my wedding while Melissa walks down the aisle.” Hayes’ wedding is scheduled in October near Monterey, California. “It’s been really cool,” added Hayes. “I’ve gotten more emails and more people sending me notes and signing my guestbook at my website, www.joshhayesracing.com, in the last two days than ever before. It’s just been really cool to know so many people care and support me.”