Imola highside leaves Haslam with broken ribs

Red Devils Roma Aprilia rider Leon Haslam has been left nursing three cracked ribs after one of the ‘biggest highsides he’s ever had’ in the second World Superbike race at Imola last weekend.

The crash, at Tamburello, came after an encounter with Pata Honda rider Michael van der Mark that saw him losing out on time and having to push forwards again to make up time.

“We had issues the whole race; I ran off track three or four times and had a coming together with Michael. I was really struggling with the last part of corner entry. Basically, I was pushing too hard and had a big, big highside. It was one of the biggest I’ve had, so I’m pretty happy that I managed to get up.

“The left thumb is a little sore and I have three cracked ribs, but nothing is displaced or majorly broken. My ribs are quite sore at the minute, but other than that I’m okay. I was winded in the gravel and I’ll be sore for a few days, but we have two weeks off before Donington so I should be good.”

With the next round of the series coming in ten days time at Donington Park, home of his dad Ron’s race school and a track he knows intimately, he’ll now be looking to make amends after the disappointing weekend in Italy.