Photography By: Andrea Wilson
Cameron Beaubier, the third-place finisher in the Daytona 200 and the man who carries Yamaha’s hopes of a 2012 Daytona SportBike Championship, has suffered a broken right kneecap and an injured right wrist in a scooter crash.
The 19-year-old Beaubier was riding his Yamaha Zuma 50 on the street when he clipped an “unseen hazard in the roadway.” The incident didn’t involve any other vehicles.
Beaubier underwent surgery on the patella (knee) with doctors inserting screws and wires to hold the bone together. His wrist, however, did not require surgery.
“I’m so disappointed to have injured myself, and in such an odd manner,” Beauibier said. “It happened so quickly, and I’m fortunate that there were no other vehicles around at the time. I’m not yet sure what my prognosis is for racing at Road Atlanta (April 20-22) in a few weeks, but I’m hopeful for a quick recovery.”
In addition to finishing third at Daytona, Beaubier was the quickest AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike rider overall at the official AMA Pro test held last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Thankfully, there are no broken bones in my wrist,” Beaubier said. “It’s sore right now, but I had it thoroughly checked out, and it’s nothing major. My knee is the issue.”
Keith McCarty, Motorsports Racing Division Manager for Yamaha said: “We feel badly for Cameron. Off the track, he’s sure had his share of bad luck.”
Beaubier suffered a fractured tibia in his left leg while training on a motocross bike this past Christmas Eve – an injury that is now fully healed.
“It’s too soon to tell if Cameron will be unable to race at Road Atlanta” McCarty said. “We’ll know more next week after he begins physical therapy so, for now, we wish him the best and remain hopeful for a quick recovery.”
If Beaubier is unable to race at Road Atlanta, Tommy Hayden – who is already filling in for the second Yamaha rider on the injured list, Garrett Gerloff – will likely go it alone
