Hayden to go under the knife
02/06/2012 08:31:17 AM
American MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden will have surgery on Monday on the shoulder he injured in December.
The Ducati rider crashed while training on a dirt track near his home in Kentucky on December 27 and broke his left shoulder and three ribs, but elected not to have surgery at the time.
But after struggling to ride at the first test of the season at Sepang, Malaysia last week, the 30-year-old had the injuries examined again.
Tests revealed that Hayden had damaged cartilage in the shoulder and some muscles in his back.
The 2006 MotoGP world champion will have an operation to both assess and treat his injuries in California on Monday.
"Of course another operation before the season is never a good thing but I'm actually happy that I tried to ride at Malaysia, because it helped me to discover that the problem with the shoulder was bigger than we thought," Hayden said.
"After seeing the scans, it was clear why I couldn’t ride well."
Hayden finished eighth in the 2011 MotoGP season and has not won a race since his championship-winning season.