Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle could miss the start of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship after apparently suffering a broken arm through crashing in the final moto of the Valence International in France today.
The Belgian had been a multiple winner at the hillside circuit in previous years and was on course for another triumph at the final edition of the popular pre-season meeting until he over-jumped the table-top finish line section and crashed heavily while trying to pass eventual victor Shaun Simpson.
The Scot, who defeated the Kawasaki athlete the weekend beforehand at Hawkstone Park, was leading the Superfinal race when Desalle tried to overtake.
“I couldn’t see it that well because I was in front of him at the time but we came down into the final corner before the finish which is a tight right hander into a table-top,” the Wilvo Virus Performance KTM man said. “I had the inside line and I could hear him sling-shotting around the outside of me. I was scrubbing the jump on the inside and I heard a load of revs. I had a little look left and just saw wheels and the bike was unoccupied. I guess he had baled and made a big mistake. Not too good at all.”
Desalle stopped suddenly while his KX450F almost flipped into the nearby crowd. The luckless Grand Prix winner landed on his right side and a suspected broken wrist was later confirmed by sources close to the factory team as an arm injury.
With KRT unable to count on Jordi Tixier and his troublesome wrist for the opening rounds of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, this is another shock for the Holland-based crew. The details for surgery or recovery for #25 is not yet known. Desalle joins the likes of Tony Cairoli, Romain Febvre and Pauls Jonass as riders who had already suffered problems in the first weeks of the year.
