MS Aprilia riders Jeremy Mc
Williams and Garry McCoy both fell from their RS Cubes during the first day of the 2004 Australian Grand Prix.
McWilliams has qualified a provisional 16th for Sunday's race and could only complete 21 laps in the hour-long session after a crash in this morning's rain-hit free practice session saw him aggravate an old rib injury.
The Ulsterman later revealed that he'd broken at least one rib when he was flicked off his Cube three-cylinder machine at the downhill MG Corner. It is the same rib that he has broken twice in 2004 – once at a pre-season test in Malaysia and he broke it again during the Italian GP weekend at Mugello in June.
"I was really enjoying this morning and getting faster when I suddenly got flicked off. I just didn't have much rear grip in the wet and straight away I knew I'd done at least one rib again because I know what that pain is like," said Jeremy, who has claimed three pole position at the sweeping Phillip Island circuit.
Sporting heavy strapping on the left hand side of his stomach, McWilliams needed pain-killers prior to this afternoon's session, which was run in full dry conditions.
"The wind isn't helping because you have to fight the bike so much, and with the rib problem that's not easy for me," he admitted. "The front wheel is coming off the ground in sixth gear on the home straight and that gets your attention..."
Meanwhile, home hero McCoy would finish two places adrift of his team-mate, having escaped injury when he fell in the closing stages of the session.
"Well that's my first
MotoGP crash of the year," joked McCoy, who is in the middle of a three-race deal with Aprilia to replace injured British rider Shane Byrne. "I felt the rear let go but I'm not really sure what happened. The first qualifier I had was softer and I'll need to analyse what happened with my mechanics but I'm fine.
