A difficult day of waiting out off-and-on rain at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ended Saturday evening with AMA Pro Racing running a Superstock qualifying session into a downpour, resulting in a multi-bike crash and one serious injury. Following a short break after the Formula Xtreme warm-up session Saturday afternoon, the Superstock class was sent out on track for a combined, 30-minute qualifying session. AMA Pro Racing officials, meanwhile, were keeping one eye on weather radar as a storm front approached the track. Five minutes into the session, the rain showers arrived and suddenly let loose in turn one. Millennium KWS Suzuki’s Matt Lynn hit the suddenly-wet turn one first, lost traction and ran off the track, nearly crashing in the already-wet grass. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki’s Robertino Pietri came into turn one next and crashed instantly. “Everything was OK, then suddenly big time rain,” said Pietri, a Venezuelan. “I was going into turn one and big rain. I just lost the front quick.” An instant behind Pietri, Corona Extra Suzuki’s Gary Mason lost control of his slick-tired GSX-R1000 on the wet track in turn one. “I had just entered turn one, hit the brakes and it was raining so hard,” said Mason, a veteran of the British Superbike Championship. “I was like, ‘Yes, I saved it! Sh-t! I’m on the grass, and that wall is coming up really fast.’ I bailed out. I pulled the chute and got off. I’m on the ground trying to crawl away and a Kawasaki comes flying in.” Mason was followed into the impact zone by Attack Kawasaki’s Damon Buckmaster. Buckmaster was unavailable for comment because he was transported to a local hospital to have an injury to his right wrist X-rayed. Mason said Buckmaster appeared to be in quite a bit of pain. “When you’re riding 140 mph on slick tires, you’re on your ass as soon as it starts raining,” added Mason. “They knew that rain was coming. Why didn’t they just call it a day? I see their side of it. They have to put a show on for the fans, but sh-t, man! That’s dangerous.” Mason’s teammate Michael Sanchez also crashed, in turn 13, and Graves Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates lost traction and rode off the track when the rain hit. The Superstock qualifying session was not restarted. AMA Pro Racing is expected to release a revised schedule of events for Sunday shortly.