Biaggi Out Of Imola

Paul Carruthers | September 22, 2011

Max Biaggi has pulled out of this weekend’s World Superbike round in Imola, Italy, the defending World Superbike Champion still hurting from the broken left foot he suffered during Friday practice at the Nurburging in Germany three weeks ago.

“I came here to try, because my hope was to race on this track which provided me with such great emotion last year, but I have no choice but to painfully acknowledge what has been determined by the last medical exams, conducted just a few minutes ago,” Biaggi said in a team release. “The pain has not let up, the fracture is not healed and I don’t have the mobility to be able to ride. It is very painful for me to be here stating that I cannot race. I hope that now I will be able to recover in time to be back in the saddle at Magny Cours.”Dr. Claudio Costa, who examined Biaggi today in the Mobile Clinic at Imola said: “It is a bad split fracture which – fortunately – is progressing well. But it has not healed and the X-ray today shows that. Max – summoning up reason – was forced to acknowledge the situation. Now what he must do is observe complete rest until Sunday and begin the proper therapy on Monday in order to have any hope of racing at Magny Cours.”

Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa is likely to wrap up the World Superbike Championship in race two on Sunday, the Spaniard needing just 26 points from the two races to earn the title.

 

Paul Carruthers | Editor

Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.