Barcelona hospital became an unwitting ‘who’s who’ of WorldSBK talent on Sunday evening after Alex Lowes and Chaz Davies joined Tom Sykes in needing treatment for injuries following separate accidents at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Sykes is reported to have suffered a concussion but otherwise escaped serious injury in an accident during the initial stages of Race 2 in Spain that reportedly knocked him unconscious. The BMW rider fell and was struck by the close following Kawasak of Lucas Mahias, but was conscious and talking en route to hospital.
Joining him on the hospital admittance form was Lowes, who suffered a bruising clash at the same corner a lap earlier.
The Kawasaki Racing Team rider was caught up in the usual frenetic funnel into Turn 1 on the opening lap, Lowes clipping the Honda of Leon Haslam before coming down.
Getting caught up in his twisting bike as he fell, Lowes was then struck and vaulted by the Pedericini Kawasaki of Lachlan Epis, who was left with nowhere to go after being unsighted by the BMW of Jonas Folger ahead of him.
LIGHTS OUT FOR #WorldSBK RACE 2
Early drama in turn 1, @alexlowes22 crashes!#CatalanWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/GNs7YBOHsi
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) September 19, 2021
Experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, Lowes was taken to hospital for further checks.
“In Race Two I didn’t get the best start; sometimes the clutch grabs differently to how I expect and this caused me to end up back in the pack a little bit,” Lowes said. “I got knocked off from someone inside of me. I took a big impact from my bike in the face and also got my right hand and wrist caught, so now we are going to hospital in Barcelona to get it checked.
Finally, Davies was also taken to hospital after an accident blamed on Mahias - who was demoted to last on the grid for Race 2 as punishment - during the early stages of the short Superpole Race.
Also unseen by the cameras, Davies - who has battled an ongoing shoulder injury for much of the year - was stretchered off the circuit to the medical centre as the race was stopped with doctors confirming a lumbar contusion, before being taken to hospital for more checks.
Not that it dampended the amiable Welshman's enthusiasm, with team owner Denis Saachetti saying he still wanted to ride in Race 2.
"The Superpole Race is spectacular, but today someone had too much enthusiasm, and this time our rider went to the hospital," said Saachetti. Now we hope that the result of the CT scan is negative, Chaz complains of pain in his right side, but at the medical center he laughed and joked and the first thing he asked was to prepare the bike for Race 2, he wanted to race!
All three riders now face a race against time to be fit in time for next weekend’s WorldSBK round in Jerez, though at least Sykes is expected to sit it out due to the regulation that states riders who have been knocked unconscious or suffered concussion cannot compete again for at least seven days.
