Mackenzie Heads Home for Hand Surgery

21st June 2009 – World MX1 Championship – Grand Prix of Germany

CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie will withdraw from the next few World MX1 Championship races with immediate effect to undergo surgery on his injured right hand, following a painful struggle in the opening moto at today’s Grand Prix of Germany.

Mackenzie detached the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in a practice crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix and has since been battling to overcome the injury. Following the incident in early May, Mackenzie underwent a scan of the badly swollen thumb, which confirmed the damage, although it was thought that over time the pain would subside and allow the 25-year-old to continue racing until the end of the season.

Despite being unable to practice during the week due to the rest his hand required, Mackenzie rode through the pain barrier to achieve some promising results in the following few races and it was decided that he would continue to contest his CRF450R with the use of pain relief injections to assist him with the problem in his thumb.

However, after fighting to ride through the worsening pain in recent weeks and struggling to hold onto his race machine in the opening moto of today’s German Grand Prix, it has been decided on safety grounds by Mackenzie, CAS Honda and Honda that he has no alternative other than to sit out of the next few races to undergo surgery.

Mackenzie will now return to the UK for an immediate operation and the procedure will require around a six to eight week recovery period before the CAS Honda pilot will be able to return to the racetrack.

CAS Honda and Honda will now decide whether a replacement can be sought for the next few Grand Prix events and the aim is for Mackenzie to be back on track fully fit for the final few races of the year.

Neil Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager

“This has been a tough season so far for Billy, as he’s been battling injury right from the start of the racing year. He had just recovered from his tendonitis trouble in his arm, when a practice crash in Portugal left him with a very badly bruised thumb. We had the area scanned and it was confirmed he had detached the Ulnar collateral ligament. At the time it was thought by the doctor that the pain in his hand would improve over time and the surgery to repair the damaged ligament would be able to wait, so we’ve been going to races and trying to do the best job possible with the situation we had. Unfortunately the pre-race pain relief that Billy has had in his hand has been quite inconsistent in its effectiveness, and today at this demanding track he was visibly struggling to hang onto the bike, which is not safe. We’re also not achieving anything like the results we are capable of and heading into a busy race period, so it has been decided that it is best if Billy sits out of the next few events to undergo surgery on the area. At the moment we don’t know when he will be able to ride, as it depends on the extent of the damage in his hand, or if we will find a replacement rider, but now the main focus is getting him back to the UK to receive the treatment he needs.”

Billy Mackenzie: #211

“We had a tough start to the year with injuries and going into Portugal things were starting to go right, so I was really looking forward to getting my season back on track. Unfortunately I had a small slip off in pre-qualifying, landed awkwardly and bust my thumb up quite bad. At the time we didn’t know the extent of the injury, but I had a scan and it confirmed that I’d torn off the collateral ligament. In motocross riding with injuries are one of the things that come as part and parcel of the job, so I thought I’d be able to continue with the hope that the situation would improve and the surgery would be able to wait until later in the year. Each weekend I was having pain-relief injections to try and help, but this didn’t always work so well, especially at the more demanding tracks, and we certainly haven’t been achieving the results that we are more than capable of. CAS Honda, Honda and myself had decided that if my results didn’t improve or the pain in my hand didn’t get any better by this race, then we would need to evaluate the situation, as riding like this is no good for me or the team. It’s been hard to ride and stay motivated with so much pain, as we haven’t really had the chance to race fully fit at all this year, and I definitely am not here to finish in the positions we’ve been gaining. It’s now come to the point now where I can’t ride safely and I was struggling to hang onto the bike today, so the decision has been made that I will now fly back to the UK to have surgery on the area, which will probably take place in the next few days. I’m not sure when I will be able to race again, but our aim would be to come back for the last few events of the year in full fitness to gain some good results.”