#34 SimpsonTeam Wulfsport Kawasaki’s Shaun Simpson was hit by a fresh injury blow at a sweltering Grand Prix of Faenza in Italy last Sunday. The 18 year old Scot was suffering mechanical problems when he crashed and broke the corner off his right radius and could possibly miss the rest of the season that culminates mid September.
The tenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship took place in near forty-degree temperatures and on a fast and hard-pack terrain 15km east of Imola. 29,000 fans braved the heat and burning sun to see the GP series circulate Italian soil for the second time this season.
The weekend did not start well for the Irish squad. Simpson tasted dirt and was then barged off his motorcycle again during the qualification heat and by the time he restarted the teenager was far behind the pack. He held the fastest lap-time for a long stretch of the Last Chance session but eventually secured his place in the Grand Prix with third spot and 27th entry in the gate for Sunday. Temperatures hit an even higher peak on raceday as the crowd clambered for pieces of shade and the waft of sun-cream was prevalent.
Simpson started brightly in the first race but the heat and pace took their toll on several motorcycles and the Kawasaki toiled on sections. Simpson faded back from seventh place to run outside the top ten when he crashed starting the steep descent from the highest part of the circuit. The impact broke his right wrist and he heads back to his base in Belgium for an examination Monday morning.
“My starting position was not great but I managed to get good drive out of the gate and come across on a few guys,” he recollects. “I made it to the top of the hill in the top ten. They had watered the track in some places that made it quite slippery but I felt OK and was riding alright until the bike started playing up again. We think it is getting too got somehow and is bogging. I lost some positions and then came out of a corner and hit a jump. There was a slight kicker on the take-off but nothing too serious. The back end rose and as I got on the gas to correct it the engine bogged and the bike flipped. I did a complete turn in the air and must have put my hands down and over-extended my wrist when I hit the floor. I have snapped a little bit off the radius and will see what needs to be done tomorrow in Belgium. We are quite near the end of the season though and if I need to rest I’m not sure if I will have time to come back in good enough condition to race.”
The tenth round of fifteen in the FIM Motocross World Championship took place in near forty-degree temperatures and on a fast and hard-pack terrain 15km east of Imola. 29,000 fans braved the heat and burning sun to see the GP series circulate Italian soil for the second time this season.
The weekend did not start well for the Irish squad. Simpson tasted dirt and was then barged off his motorcycle again during the qualification heat and by the time he restarted the teenager was far behind the pack. He held the fastest lap-time for a long stretch of the Last Chance session but eventually secured his place in the Grand Prix with third spot and 27th entry in the gate for Sunday. Temperatures hit an even higher peak on raceday as the crowd clambered for pieces of shade and the waft of sun-cream was prevalent.
Simpson started brightly in the first race but the heat and pace took their toll on several motorcycles and the Kawasaki toiled on sections. Simpson faded back from seventh place to run outside the top ten when he crashed starting the steep descent from the highest part of the circuit. The impact broke his right wrist and he heads back to his base in Belgium for an examination Monday morning.
“My starting position was not great but I managed to get good drive out of the gate and come across on a few guys,” he recollects. “I made it to the top of the hill in the top ten. They had watered the track in some places that made it quite slippery but I felt OK and was riding alright until the bike started playing up again. We think it is getting too got somehow and is bogging. I lost some positions and then came out of a corner and hit a jump. There was a slight kicker on the take-off but nothing too serious. The back end rose and as I got on the gas to correct it the engine bogged and the bike flipped. I did a complete turn in the air and must have put my hands down and over-extended my wrist when I hit the floor. I have snapped a little bit off the radius and will see what needs to be done tomorrow in Belgium. We are quite near the end of the season though and if I need to rest I’m not sure if I will have time to come back in good enough condition to race.”