Cooper Webb’s shoulder injury, incurred over the weekend in Minneapolis, might not be as bad as originally thought.
After some MRIs this week, it appears Cooper has managed to avoid any major breaks, separations or dislocations to the shoulder, but did incur some deep bruising.
He’s out for this weekend in Atlanta but is expected to try riding next week to see how it feels. A timetable to return is not yet known but with the right therapy, Cooper could be back sooner rather than later. They’re thinking Toronto, but will not be sure until he tries to ride Monday.
Yamaha has released a full statement from Cooper Webb:
“I felt great in qualifying, and then, I pulled the holeshot in the heat. I was leaned over in the turn heading into the first rhythm section when I spun the rear wheel. I wasn’t able to get through that section the way I wanted to, and unfortunately, another rider’s rear wheel basically landed on the left side of my handlebars, and I went down.
“I flew to California, and I’ve been working with Dr. G (Dr. Rey Gubernick) this week. I had an MRI today [Tuesday], and it showed deep bruising. We were concerned that there was a fracture to the scapula [shoulder blade], so it was great news that the MRI revealed just a bruise. The plan right now is to work with Dr. G all week, and then, get back on my bike as soon as possible and see how I feel. I’m really disappointed that I can’t be in Atlanta this weekend for the big MotoFest. It’s the closest supercross event to my home in North Carolina, and I was looking forward to seeing my family and friends, and of course, meet all the awesome fans in Atlanta. And, I was really looking forward to getting a great result at the final supercross in the Georgia Dome. I’m working hard this week to rehab from the injury and return to racing as soon as possible.”
Factory Yamaha’s Cooper Webb missed the main event last night in Minneapolis after crashing in his heat race. He got up holding his arm/shoulder and was a DNS for the semi.
We checked with the team after the race and they seemed confident there weren’t any broken bones but they weren’t sure if anything else was injured. They’ll have a better idea of the severity in a few days.
