Bayliss on "mafia" crash
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ByEurosport
Published 15/04/2007 at 10:06 GMT
EXCLUSIVE! Troy Bayliss said he felt like the victim of a mafia hit after his infamous crash at Donington Park. The reigning World Superbike champion lost the little finger on his right hand after his Ducati landed on him at the British circuit.
SUPERBIKE 2007 Season 2007 Troy Bayliss Ducati Phillip Island test
Image credit: From Official Website
But the tough Australian - who took pole for race one in Valencia - was still able to laugh about the incident.
He told Eurosport: "It was like the mafia had come and snipped off a finger!"
"As I came to the corner the back slid away, not through losing control but just through corner speed. It slid away and that was the end of the race for me."
The 37-year-old even admitted he did not know he had hurt his finger until he took off his glove, because he was more worried about being struck in the breadbasket by his bike.
"I had such a bad pain in my groin I didn't realise about my finger," he said. "Then as I walked off a kid said to me 'give us your glove, Troy!'
"Then as I took it off I saw my little finger was hanging on basically by a thread. I thought: 'OK, that's not good, I'd better see the medics as quickly as possible'.
"I was more worried about the pain in my groin. The doctors had a look and found that I'd split an atom or something! So that was very painful for four or five days."
Despite the loss of his finger, Bayliss bounced back in style with a superb qualifying performance in Valencia, and said he would not let the incident affect him mentally.
"I think when you have a crash like that you have to be a bit brave about it and get back on the bike. When I crash I always know what has happened - I don't have stupid crashes."
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