‘Three months’ before Kagayama walks again

Yukio Kagayama will miss the rest of the 2003 BSB season after breaking his pelvis in a crash at Cadwell Park on Monday.

The Japanese star was airlifted to a private hospital near Lincoln after he collided with privateer Chris Heath during the morning warm-up. And doctors have said it could be three months before he even walks again after they fitted a frame around his body in a major operation on Monday evening.

The accident happened on the approach to the left-hander at the bottom of the Mountain, while Heath was being shown a blue flag to move over. After the impact, the Rizla Suzuki rider was thrown into the air and landed just a few feet from the initial collision. Heath was taken to Grimsby hospital suffering a fractured left ankle.

The team says it’s too early to speculate whether they will replace Kagayama for the final two rounds at Brands Hatch and Donington.

Well-wishers can send e-mails to Kagayama at rizlasuzukipressoffice@btopenworld.com. Alternatively, post a message on the British Superbike discussion board by following the link on the right, and we’ll collect them all and pass them on to the team. Find out more on the aftermath of the crash in MCN, out Wednesday