Damage suffered in Saturday’s free practice crash, ruled out a home MotoGP start for Australian stand-in, Damian Cudlin, for the Mapfre Aspar Team.
Cudlin, standing in for Héctor Barberá this weekend as the Spaniard recovers from injury, befell a similar fate to the regular Mapfre Aspar Team rider at the Iveco Australian GP. The substitute rider didn't make the start for his home race, as the heavy crash of Saturday afternoon took its toll. A huge abrasion to his left side and a significant contusion to his hip meant that Cudlin had to sit out the event, having made a valiant attempt to participate in the warm-up to test his condition. The 28 year old only managed a single lap before realising that racing would not be possible and was taken immediately to the Clinica Mobile for an X-ray. Fortunately no fractures were suffered in his big crash, although Cudlin will head to hospital in Melbourne tomorrow in order to undergo further tests.
Only fourteen riders took the start in the Iveco Australian Grand Prix. The absence of Cudlin, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies from the starting grid made for a sparse startline image at Phillip Island, but there was still a race to be contested, with Cudlin’s compatriot, Casey Stoner clinching his second World Championship.
Press release courtesy of the Mapfre Aspar MotoGP Team
