MotoGP: Nicky Hayden Set For Wrist Surgery
Paul Carruthers | May 30, 2014
Photography by Gold & Goose
Changes are Nicky Hayden will head home from Italy tomorrow, the 2006 MotoGP World Champion’s injured right wrist too painful for him to compete in this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Hayden will undergo surgery on the wrist next week no matter what and he will decide tomorrow whether or not he will compete on Sunday.
“I had a lot of pain in my hand today,” Hayden said in a team release. “I thought the break after the last race at Le Mans would be enough for me, but here the problem is worse. I worked really hard last week to try and recover with different kinds of therapy and a hyperbaric chamber but the injury to my right wrist has not improved.
“In France I was able to ride through the pain, but this circuit is much faster and more demanding. After talking to the doctors it seems the smartest move is to undergo surgery next week in order to be fully fit again as soon as possible. It’s not really improved a whole lot, as much as we’d have hoped. Of course falling on it again in Le Mans didn’t help. I’m riding with painkillers at the moment. It’s not ideal.”
Hayden did six laps in the morning session today on his Drive M7 Aspar Honda, then went out in the wet second session for five more laps. He will decide tomorrow whether or not he will race.
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.
