Team EBR's already uphill debut in World Superbike in Phillip Island just took an even steeper route, as Erik Buell Racing rider Geoff May fractured his left collarbone during the third free-practice session. The 33-year-old rider from Georgia suffered a high-side at turn 11, a high speed, double left-hander leading into the main straight, was transported to a local hospital in Melbourne to assess the gravity of the injury and decide whether or not to proceed with surgery.
"The rear started to come around and I tried to save it but the bike threw me off and then hit me," May said. "It's a shame because we were making good progress. We were doing some extra laps on a used rear to better assess the setup improvements and I was just about to come back into the pits to put a new tire on and push harder."
For a team needing as much time on track as possible, May's unlucky injury represents a major issue. However, EBR Team Manager Giulio Bardi is trying to stay positive.
"It's such bad luck, but this what sometimes races are about," he said. "We still need to figure out our level and our limits, but we will carry on engine development, step by step, after this race. Our goal is to improve power, while preserving reliability. So far, we managed to improve the compression ratio but we still have plenty of work to do on the cylinder head and electronics. Our top speed is now a little closer to the EVO bikes, but we still have plenty of margin to optimize the package."
