Imola bike fault costs Whitham

The FIM has announced that Jamie Whitham has forfeited the fourth place he earned on Sunday at Imola thanks to a technical infringement of the rules.

World Supersport regulations state that bikes must fire on their starters after the race and Whitham’s Belgarda Yamaha R6 simply refused.

He told MCN: ” I’m not that bothered to be honest. I had a good race, but I knew the bike was knackered when I came over the line.

” What I should have done was blow the motor there and then…but that’s a bit naughty and you can’t really do that can you! ”

But Whitham’s exclusion from the result does benefit other British riders. Iain MacPherson shuffles up a place to seventh in the race, Rob Frost to 10th, James Ellison to 11th and Paul Young gets an extra championship point with 14th.

It also means MacPherson finishes as top Brit in the final standings in ninth spot, with Whitham dropping from seventh to 10th.

The 36-year-old Yorkshireman is going in to hospital for keyhole surgery on his knee this week. The short procedure is to drain the area damaged in his horror smash at Brands in July of bone and tissue fragments.