McCoy faces race to be fit

TOP GP rider Garry McCoy has been flown by private plane to Austria for a specialist assessment on a double break of his right leg.

The Red Bull Yamaha 500 rider was airlifted from Estoril in Portugal where a crash towards the end of the first day of the IRTA test yesterday left him with a broken tibia and fibula.

McCoy has only six weeks to recover to be fit for the first round of the new season that starts in Suzuka, Japan on April 7. He will find out later today whether he needs an operation on the break that is about 10cm above his ankle.

The Aussie had topped the time sheets at Estoril, but strong winds caught him out toward the end of the day. He said: “The wind just got under me as I turned for the fast right corner around the back of the circuit and there was just nothing I could do to control it.

“It’s a real disappointment because the test session had been going according to plan. The bike was feeling good and I had really taken to the new Dunlops. Everything was shaping up for a good start to the season, now I just have to wait and see what the doctors in Austria say about when I can get back “