27.03.10 | Toseland down but not out
A crash during Superpole 2 brought a disappointing end to what had been a promising weekend so far in Portimao for Sterilgarda Yamahas James Toseland. The Brit had been riding through the pain of a broken left hand, incurred at the opening round of the season at Phillip Island in Australia to put in consistently fast times.
Having made it to the top 16 riders vying for a grid position for tomorrow, Toseland was focused on securing a strong starting position for the 22-lap race to the finish. However, he high-sided the Sterilgarda Yamaha almost halfway through the ten minute session and was unable to get back on track to improve on his time.
The BKS-supported rider walked away from the accident without any further injuries, despite sustaining some impact to his left hand, which has already been encased in a plastic support for this weekend. He will start from row four tomorrow in 15th position with the aim of fighting his way through the pack to claim a front running position and put him back into championship contention.
I cant believe how the day has ended after the weekend has been going so well, said James. Weve made great progress with the bike, so to make a mistake on the last corner was just unlucky. It was my second lap on a qualifier tyre and I was just pushing too hard on the final corner.
The good news is that I only winded myself a bit and didnt pick up any new injuries so I have to focus now on two strong race results tomorrow. Two of the main championship contenders, Haga and Fabrizio, also went out of Superpole early so it should be an interesting battle through the pack tomorrow.
Im pleased for my team-mate Cal that he picked up a great result and Im happy for Yamaha that Cal was able to secure pole; it shows the true capability of the bike, which is encouraging for the season ahead.
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