Massive news just over 24 hours away from the beginning of this year’s AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Reigning 450 Champion Dylan Ferrandis will not be lining up tomorrow at Pala at the minimum. The Star Racing Yamaha team announced that the Frenchman suffered a ligament tear in his thumb that will require surgery on Friday afternoon. This is a massive blow to Ferrandis’ title hopes in 2022. As this effectively ends any chance that he goes back to back this year.
Be sure to keep up with all of our Motocross coverage.
Irreversible Damage?
In his own words, Ferrandis said that he could still ride this weekend, but that would come at a steep price. That price being permanent damage to the ligament in his thumb.
“Unfortunately, I had a small crash Tuesday, and I hurt my left thumb. I thought it was a minor sprain, but the medical exam showed a broken ligament with the Stenner effect, which means it will never recover without surgery. I wanted to try to ride Saturday, but without surgery, in a few weeks, the ligament can die, and the damage can be irreversible. We decided with the team to go for the surgery now to have me back at my full physical capacity, but that means I will miss the beginning of the motocross season.
“Not being able to defend the championship that I won last year and put the No. 1 plate where it belongs, I am at the saddest point of my career. I’ve worked so hard and have invested everything to win this championship again, I have a broken heart for my sponsors and the people that help me; this sport is so ruthless.”
The Right Move
Obviously, this is a massive blow for both Ferrandis and Star Yamaha as a whole, but better to get this situated rather than risk permanent damage to his thumb. He is still under contract with the team for next year at the bare minimum and should have ample more opportunities to get back to the top of the mountain. This leaves Eli Tomac, who isn’t at 100 percent either right now with a knee injury, and Christian Craig as the 450 riders for Star this summer. Unless the team has a sponsor requirement to run three 450 bikes for Motocross, a replacement rider feels unlikely.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Jack Gaffney on Twitter @JackGaffneyPTST
Main Image via Yamaha
