ProudPops Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Miguel Duhamel, the all-time winningest rider in AMA road racing history, is lying in a hospital in Georgia today and may be out for the season after crashing into a wall at high speed during an AMA team test at Road Atlanta.Duhamel was one of many riders taking part in the two-day (August 7-8), multi-team test at the newly-repaved, 2.5-mile, 12-turn road course at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. For most riders it was their first time seeing the new racing surface, which resulted in lap times at the test being as much as two seconds faster than during the 2006 AMA Superbike races.At approximately 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Duhamel was evaluating new Dunlop tires on his American Honda CBR1000RR Superbike as he approached Turn 12 (the most dangerous turn in AMA road racing – if not the world – in the opinion of some racers) at 120-130 mph. Duhamel encountered a problem early in the corner that resulted in the rear end of his motorcycle coming around and throwing the French-Canadian off.“You ever play with those lawn darts when you were a kid? You throw them under hand real fast about three feet off the ground. That’s what it looked like,†said Al Ludington, Duhamel’s long-time Crew Chief, who witnessed the accident. “He drilled straight in. He didn’t hit the ground before he went in.â€According to Ludington, Duhamel’s CBR led him into the miniscule run-off area and hit and displaced the Airfence, resulting in Duhamel heavily impacting hay bales and a tire wall.“He had just bent it in,†continued Ludington, “just went to the throttle and it came unglued at the back. It went right off the racetrack without bouncing. It was pretty horrific to watch.â€Ludington was one of the first at the seen. He said Duhamel never lost consciousness and was aware of what happened and what was going on. After reporting that he could feel all of his fingers and toes, Duhamel said he was having trouble breathing and his neck hurt. He was transported by ambulance to North Georgia Medical Center, in Gainesville, Georgia, where he immediately underwent X-rays and CT scans.“I came back to the track,†said Ludington, who followed the ambulance to the hospital. “They called when they got the CT scans back. He broke a couple of ribs on the back side, which collapsed a lung. The other lung is bruised. He’s got a 5 cm laceration in his liver. He’s got a really badly sprained ankle, which is badly swollen. And he is sore all over, which is about what you would expect for going straight into the Turn 12 wall.“He’ll be there for a few days. They said two to three days for observation. I just had a niece that went through a lacerated liver. She was in the hospital for four or five days, and then they said no exerting yourself for three to four months. So I would be really surprised if we see Miguel back on a bike this season, but that’s just me guessing.â€No other riders were known to have crashed during the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopGun Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 damn that sucks, bet that hurt on the way in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Yeah I saw that.. Im guessing that he will retire.. with a lacerated liver he is definitely done for this year and it wouldn't surprise me if he retires, although I think his contract goes through 08.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud and Low Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Didn't he lay it down at midOhio also?God Luck and Good Speed to the guy. One of the alltime greats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudPops Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 No, Zempke crashed last year here. Duhamel's been through some gnarley crashes with some serious injuries. He's not done, he's an iron man, just watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopGun Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 the kid wiped twice this weekend at mid but can't remeber his name, jason i think rides for susuki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireman_343 Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 He did go down at Mid O... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopGun Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 this year? i missed that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudPops Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 this year? i missed that one.That makes two of us but that pic looks otherwise. Doesn't really matter, for his age and abilitiy, that man rocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jl06f4i Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 If I remember correctly he went down Friday early morning qualifying....think it was the first or second turn that everyone was b*tching about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APCh8r Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 the kid wiped twice this weekend at mid but can't remeber his name, jason i think rides for susukii think you are referring to jason disalvo and he rides for yamaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APCh8r Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Update from Superbike PlanetFormer Superbike champion Miguel DuHamel is healing fast and will probably be leaving his Georgia hospital room very soon. Injured in a testing crash at Road Atlanta last week, DuHamel suffered a lacerated liver, damage to both lungs, a broken or sprained ankle and some mere flesh wounds.DuHamel's lungs are inflated and working again, his liver more than likely won't need surgery and he's disputing the x-rays on his ankle ("It doesn't feel broken"). DuHamel will be convalescing in Montreal for a while and it's unknown when he will make a racing return. VIR next weekend is very clearly out; however, after that? DuHamel says he actually feels pretty good, even though he exploded five straw bales with a 120mph body-block and the Yamaha crew who initially got to him first feared he was dead. Knowledgeable sources say that Honda probably won't have a replacement rider on DuHamel's CBR1000RR at VIR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Good for him ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hope he recovers....He's a great rider...Shows these young guys what's up. Sucks for Honda and the 1000rr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopGun Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Glas to see him doing better and disalvo was right. couldnt remeber his name or ride for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudPops Posted August 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 Told ya he's a Rockstar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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