Celtic/Economy Lube+Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati’s Cameron Petersen gingerly walked away from his viscous highside in Saturday’s Motovation Supersport race one, but it is unlikely that the South African will take part in today’s race two after suffering at the very least a badly bruised right leg.
Petersen tried to ride in morning warmup today and he may try and give the race a go, but it’s unlikely.
“I feel like I got hit by a bus,” Petersen said this morning. “I just hit the ground pretty hard. My right leg slapped the ground. So, I think I’m going to have to go get some MRIs done when I get home. I tried to go out this morning and it just feels like somebody was sticking a knife through my foot. So pretty hard to do anything on the bike. Just so bummed. It seems like any time I get some momentum going, something stops me. But I’ll see. I’m going to go see the doctors. Maybe see if they can numb it up and go give it a try in the race and see if we can do anything. But at this point I think it’s more important for me to make sure I’m ready to go for New Jersey and get the guys a race win. I think it’s not too important for me to go out there and ride around in fifth and sixth. That’s not why these guys are here – and maybe cause more damage to my ankle. So, I’m just so bummed. I feel like this is the best I’ve honestly maybe been riding ever in my career. Just a bummer. It seems like every time I get healthy, something else happens. Just bummed.
“It’s so tough. But it’s part of racing. I was pushing hard yesterday. I felt like I had a great bike. I felt like I had the pace to fight with Matty (Scholtz) for the race win. It’s just such a fine line. Honestly, I haven’t had a highside like that in so long. I didn’t think it was possible, to be honest. The Yamahas are able to use first gear in those tight corners, and we can’t on our bike. So, second gear is really, really flat. There’s just some bumps on the inside of the corner that kind of caught me out.”
Petersen’s team has had his back, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the South African.
“The one last thing is this team that I’m involved with now, I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a team where they understand what’s going on,” Petersen said. “They’ve got a lot of empathy for their riders. Even all day yesterday, even this morning, just the comments that they say and what they want. It’s more important that I’m healthy and that I’m okay than anything else. The nice thing is I have had some conversations and there’s some exciting stuff in the works for next year, so I think I’ll be just fine.”
