Fractured collarbone forces Bayliss out at Imola.

Newly crowned 2001 World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss will not take the start of the second race of the day at Imola after it was discovered that the Australian rider had fractured his right collarbone in his penultimate lap accident with Regis Laconi at the San Marino Grand Prix venue.

Ducati Infostrada's Troy Bayliss will not add to his 369 points tally at all in the final round of the 2001 World Superbike Championship at Imola on Sunday afternoon after fracturing his right collarbone in his penultimate lap accident with Regis Laconi in the first of Sunday's doubleheader at the undulating 4.390km circuit that is playing host to its first ever World Superbike race meeting.

According to bbc.co.uk Bayliss sustained the fracture when his silver liveried machine was hit by Laconi's Aprilia coming out of the second Rivazza corner on lap 20 of the 21-lap race as the two battled ferociously with eventual winner Ruben Xaus. The Australian rider landed heavily on his shoulder as Laconi tumbled over his bike before crashing to the tarmac himself and although he was able to hitch a ride back to the pits on the pillion of Colin Edwards' Castrol Honda at races end, he was pronounced unfit to race by series doctors shortly after.

Although devastated by not being able to race in the final outing of 2001, Bayliss' double victory at Assen and the strict imposition of team orders within the Infostrada camp now begin to earn their worth as Edwards eats into Bayliss' insurmountable points lead.

A practice accident at Donington Park aside, Bayliss has kept his bike upright throughout 2001 and despite sustaining an injury, he will be grateful in a way that it came in the race after he clinched the Championship and he now has the winter months to fully recuperate before beginning his title defence.

Bayliss joins outgoing factory Kawasaki WSB star Akira Yanagawa on the injury list after the Japanese rider sustained a mild concussion in final qualifying on Saturday morning and was not pronounced fit to race on Sunday.