The past weekend was not exactly the best for MotoGP Legend Casey Stoner. He was involved in a high-speed incident at Turn 11 on the Suzuka circuit, resulting in a massive crash.
Despite the high speed he was traveling at and numerous tumbles he took, the Australian rider got away without the severe injuries we first suspected he would sustain. Stoner had a broken scapula (shoulder blade) and a fractured tibia in the ankle area. The MuSASHI RT HARC-PRO Honda he was riding was leading the race at the moment of the crash, with the Yamaha Factory machine having previously entered the pits.
The throttle was stuck open
Stoner's first declarations mentioned that the bike's throttle was stuck open, and this caused him to lose control at the Hairpin corner. The only solution was to lay the bike down and hope for the best, Stoner said. The team and HRC analyzed the data and confirmed that the throttle was 26 degrees open prior to the crash.
The CBR1000RR will be sent over to Honda for further investigation and to determine what exactly caused the throttle to remain open. If you listen to the audio at the moment of the crash, you can hear the rev limiter, suggesting that Stoner pulled the clutch in order to stop the power transfer from the engine to the wheel. HRC will hopefully detail what exactly happened.
Yamaha has a veni, vidi, vici weekend at Suzuka
Yamaha got their first win at Suzuka 8 Hour since 1996, employing endurance veteran Katsuyuki Nakasuga who teamed up with MotoGP's Tech 3 riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith, both rookies in this game. The Suzuka podium was completed with FCC TSR Honda and Team Kagayama operating Suzuki machinery.
Yamaha also set a new circuit record, with Nakasuga clocking a blistering 2'08.496, well below the former record, 2'15.214. Iwata's team R1 & Yamalube finished at the top of the Superstock class, too.
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