Moto2: Smith: I had to watch a replay to understand what happened
By Lisa Crouch
Moto2 rider Bradley Smith has revealed the extent of his injuries, which have sidelined him from Sunday's race in Malaysia.
As previously reported, Smith was one of several riders to crash during FP1 on Friday when Marshals failed to warn the riders of the wet patch that had appeared on track.
The number 38 then hit the bike of Marc Marquez, who had highsided in the same corner moments earlier. The Briton believes this is the point when he broke his collarbone.
"When I got to Turn 10 I saw yellow flags waving but I thought it was because of the crashes before me. I slowed down and the next thing I've seen the wet track and almost immediately I lost control of the bike.
"The initial crash was bad enough but then I hit Marquez's bike quite hard and I think this is how I broke my left collarbone and also took a big hit on my chest. I didn't really remember anything, so I had to watch a video replay to understand what happened.
"I've also got a bruised left lung and that is causing me quite a lot of discomfort. I would have flown home last night if possible but I can't fly for 48 hours, so I'll stick to my initial plan and head back to the UK tomorrow night after the race."
The Tech 3 rider was clearly disappointed not to be racing, but realised his injuries could have been much more serious, and feels he is recovering well already. He hopes to be back for the final race of the season in Valencia, but admits that it is too early to tell if he will be fit enough yet.
"It is a big pity that I can't race tomorrow because I am convinced I would have been very competitive this weekend. But at the same time I'm quite lucky because the crash yesterday could have been worse. Right now I feel a bit beaten up, but already I feel a lot better than yesterday.
"When I get home I'll have more checks to make sure the recovery is going well but it is too early to decide if I can race in Valencia. The shoulder should be fine but we need to wait and see. Finally I'd like to thank all the medical staff at the Clinica Mobile and the Sepang International Circuit because they did a great job."
The organiser's were fined 15,000 euros by Race Direction for the marshals not showing the correct flags at the wet turn 10, which caused Smith, Marquez, Cluzel and Hernandez to all crash out on the same corner in Friday's first practice session.
