It?s usually about this time of year that some race team or another issues a press release about their star racer spannering themselves on a motocross bike. Although you?ve quite often got to read between the lines to figure out exactly what went on. They?ll usually refer to it as a training incident and more often than not they?ll forget to mention the fact that they?ve just been rushed into theatre. Kawasaki WSBK rider Alex Lowes is one of the latest to join the preseason crash party. He jumped off a flat track bike and ?damaged? his shoulder (whatever that means). This year it?s Lowes, last year it was Dovizioso, and next year it could be anyone. It seems nobody?s immune. It even happened to the G.O.A.T. (Valentino Rossi) back in 2015. So why must they keep getting on off-road bikes in the off-season" Surely there?s too much at stake"
Imagine you are running a factory supported motorcycle race team in a world championship. Be it MotoGP, WSBK, whatever. And then imagine you get a phone call from one of your very well-paid riders saying they are going to have to sit the rest of the teams pre-season test schedule out. Oh and by the way, they don?t know if they?ll be fit enough for the first round of the year. Imagine trying to develop a superbike for Alex Lowes to win races on, without being able to sit him on it. It’d really piss you off, wouldn’t it" I?m not having a go at Lowes here; it?s just that he is the one in the news at the moment...