Colin Edwards out of British Grand Prix

Colin Edwards will miss next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone after he broke his right collarbone in a heavy crash during practice at the Catalunya track in Spain earlier today.

The experienced American fell heavily at Turn 5 just minutes after the field had switched to slick tyres after the Montmelo track dried rapidly following an earlier heavy downpour in the 125GP session.

Edwards had completed one run on slick rubber when he switched bikes and was an out lap when he lost control at the first left-hander. He landed heavily and was immediately attended to by trackside medical staff before being transferred to the Medical Centre where further checks revealed he’d suffered a broken right collarbone.

Edwards was later taken to the Dexeus Institute in Barcelona in Barcelona where he will undergo surgery tomorrow (Saturday) morning. The operation will be performed by Dr Xavier Mir, who has previously treated Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo.

Ruled out of this weekend’s Catalunya race, it will be the first time the double World Superbike champion has missed a MotoGP race since his debut for Aprilia back in 2003.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team boss Herve Poncharal said: “Unfortunately Colin has broken his right collarbone and this is a big shame for him and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because we were confident he was going to be very strong and competitive this weekend.  Colin has been superb so far this season and he has shown that even when the competition is probably stronger than ever in MotoGP, he is still one of the fastest out there.

“It looks like he paid a heavy price for a very small mistake. He landed heavily on his shoulder and it was clear from the TV pictures that he was in a lot of pain. He will have an operation tonight, so we should have a clearer idea of how long the recovery process will be over the weekend. The important thing is now that he rests and recovers as quickly as he possibly can. We wish him a fast recovery and hope that it is not too long before we see him back in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage.”

With Edwards definitely out of the British round and factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa highly unlikely to declare himself fit for Silverstone, UK fans might only see 15 bikes on the grid for the June 12 clash.

Tech 3 are working to find a partner for home favourite Cal Crutchlow, though the search has been hampered by the Misano World Superbike round, which takes place on the same weekend as Silverstone.

Former MotoGP runner-up Marco Melandri and Irish rider Eugene Laverty are ruled out, as is Yamaha World Supersport rider Chaz Davies. That leaves the likes of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty from the Swan Yamaha British Superbike squad.
Another option could be French teenager Loris Baz, who rides for Rob McElnea’s Motorpoint Yamaha squad in BSB.