Hand injury rules Cal Crutchlow out of Argentina race

Cal Crutchlow has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s inaugural MotoGP round at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in Argentina.

The Ducati rider has not recovered from a dislocated and broken right little finger he suffered in a heavy fall at the previous round in Austin and will now focus on returning to partner Andrea Dovizioso in the first European race of 2014 at Jerez.
As was first reported by MCN, Crutchlow underwent surgery in San Diego last Wednesday to have a pin inserted in the damaged finger in a bid to be fit for the first race in Argentina since 1999.

But intense pain and severe swelling to his right hand means Crutchlow has reluctantly had to withdraw, with concerns that he lacks the strength to safely compete on the Desmosedici machine.

In a statement released by Ducati late on Monday night, the 28-year-old said: “I am very sad to let the team down like this because I was really looking forward to racing in Argentina. On Tuesday I had some scans on my hand and we saw that my finger was still dislocated from the crash and also broken so Dr. Chao decided to put a pin in to stabilise it. Unfortunately I’m still feeling too much pain in my right hand, my knuckles are the most painful part and I’m not in condition to race this weekend. Now I’m going back to the UK to continue treatment and try and get ready for the race at Jerez.”