Although he suffered bone fractures and soft tissue damage to his right lower leg in a crash less than a week earlier, Roger Hayden will try to ride his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR Supersport racebike Saturday at California Speedway. “He wants to ride,” Kawasaki Racing Team Manager Michael Preston told Roadracingworld.com Friday. “He saw Dr. (Arthur) Ting today. He’s wearing a small cast on his right leg. He’s flying down this afternoon. “We still need to see if he can even get on the bike, and if we feel it’s safe enough, for Rog and for everyone else, we’ll go from there.” Hayden had surgery at the hands of Dr. Ting on April 24 in Fremont, California, where Hayden stayed until his follow-up exam Friday morning. According to Preston, Dr. Ting and his staff worked toward making it possible for Hayden to race at California Speedway from the start. “The break wasn’t as bad as we thought,” continued Preston. “The weight-bearing bone only had a chip broken off, and that was screwed back into place. The little bone in the back that doesn’t bear the weight was the one that got the plate and screws. The biggest problem, probably, is he stretched out all of the ligaments and tendons, like a sprained ankle, and he has no dexterity or strength. “But, we have an oversized boot to try and fit over his cast, and we’ve fitted his bike with a thumb (-operated rear) brake. So we’re ready if he wants to go racing.” If he can ride, Hayden would most likely only ride in the Supersport class in order to salvage some Championship points. Hayden has won both AMA Supersport races so far in 2006 and currently leads the Championship point standings.
Roger Hayden Will Try To Ride Saturday At California Speedway
Roger Hayden Will Try To Ride Saturday At California Speedway
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