Although Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Yukio Kagayama had two broken bones in his right foot and ankle, a damaged shoulder and thigh, he defied the pain and hauled his bruised and battered body onto his bike for both races at Miller Motorsports Park.
Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Yukio Kagayama may be battered, bruised and nursing broken bones in his foot, but he is determined to put on the best show he can in this weekend's World Superbike eighth round at Misano.
After seeing specialist Dr Ting in California after the race in Salt Lake City, Kagayama had been working on a rehabilitation programme in order to be as fit as he can for the San Marino round.
Last year, Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner took a superb win in race one, but the young German is still sidelined through injury, so his place will be once again be taken by Spaniard Fonsi Nieto who will be having his third outing on the bike.
Yukio Kagayama:
"Each day I get better and although my body will not be prefect in Misano, it will be a lot better then it was on race day in Salt Lake City. This season has been a tough one for our team and it's not so common to have so many injuries, but we have to get on with and do the best we can. Last year my results at Misano were not wonderful (11th and 12th), so this year I wanted to do much better. Misano is not an easy track and if the weather is very hot, it is going to be a hard weekend for us all. But my job is to race and I want the best results I can get."
Fonsi Nieto:
"Misano will be my third time on this bike and each time I go out on the track, the feeling gets better. The 2009 Suzuki is very different to the bike I rode last year, but I am getting very good support from the team and they are helping me understand this bike quickly. For sure, Misano will be hot and when that happens it seems that our bike is more sensitive to the conditions than the other bikes. But we have to just work hard and see what we can get. I hope that it will be better than last year when I got a 12th and a 10th.
