Bayliss gets off to a painful start

Ducati superbike champ Troy Bayliss chipped a collarbone during testing at Phillip Island recently. The Australian got spat over the bars from his Ducati at MG corner at Phillip Island, and the bike continued on to T-bone unsuspecting Kawasaki rider Regis Laconi.

Laconi was not injured and rushed to the aid of Bayliss, who was ordered to keep out of the saddle for three weeks.

This will no doubt put a dent in his preparations for the coming season, which starts at Qatar on 23 February.

Bayliss said, "Basically I went to pass Regis Laconi around Lukey Heights but when I realised I couldn't make it, I had to brake hard and high-sided coming in to the MG hairpin. I have fractured the collarbone close to the sternum and have also chipped the end of the sternum. I am not in too much pain and for now it doesn't seem as bad as the last break I had to my collarbone. I plan to come straight back to Italy to get further tests and the treatment that I need in order to be back on the bike as soon as possible. Up until my fall we were making great progress, testing a lot of tyres with Pirelli. We made a long-run and I was feeling good about how everything was going. This isn't an ideal outcome of course but I'm happy with the progress we made this week and now just have to concentrate on getting better as quickly as possible."

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Website: Ducati.com