Haga back at Brno

Noriyuki Haga has already begun his post-Donington rehabilitation programme and is almost certain to be back on the starting-grid for the next round of the Superbike World Championship at Brno on July 26.

In his nasty crash on the fifth lap of race 2 at Donington the championship leader suffered a fracture to the ulna bone in his right forearm and three minor cracks in his left scapula. The Ducati Xerox man was hospitalized for three days at Derby City Hospital and is now at home in Milan preparing for his return to the races. Haga is called upon to defend a 14-point lead over the chasing Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) who reduced the gap with an overwhelming double win at Donington.

In an interview with Italian weekly magazine MotoSprint, Noriyuki Haga recounts the Donington incident. "I remember everything clearly," declared Haga. "I was in second place, I didn't want to settle for that position and I was thinking about the situation in the standings ... but maybe I was thinking a bit too much. When I saw that the bike was about to hit me full-on I thought: this is the end!"