Ducati Team’s Nicky Hayden, who injured his right hand in a qualifying crash at the Indianapolis GP, will not be contesting this weekend’s bwin Grand Prix Ceské Republiky.

Hayden suffered a huge crash in turn 13 at the Brickyard, which briefly rendered him unconscious, and subsequently forced his to miss last weekend’s race as well. His team confirmed that the American will stay in the United States to recover, with the view of returning in Misano on the 16th September. He will not be replaced in the Czech Republic.

Nicky Hayden



“It’s tough to miss another race. I don’t have big problems, but my hand is still very swollen and I don’t have much strength, and of course right-hand injuries are worse for motorcycle racers. I would have been at far less than 100 per cent, and if I used too much force or crashed again, I could displace the breaks and possibly be in big trouble. Obviously, the head is even more important, and with the amount of time I was unconscious, I’m still dealing with a headache. The main thing is all the doctors told me racing was a really bad idea and not smart, and everybody on my team agreed. As much as the racer in me doesn’t like staying at home and missing track time and points, I need to listen to the experts and try to heal up and get ready for Misano. That’s an important race for me and for Ducati, and I’ll be doing all the rehab to come back as fit as possible. I don’t like it, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Vittoriano Guareschi, Team Manager



“Following the last checks that Nicky underwent to his hand, we agreed together that the best solution was to skip this race as well. I know that’s very difficult for him, but it was also the advice of all the doctors that he saw. He’ll try again in the coming races. We won’t replace him in the Czech Republic, and we expect him to return for Misano.