Hutchinson crashes in NW200 Supersport practice

MAKING his comeback Milwaukee Yamaha rider Ian Hutchinson escaped with only an injured finger after crashing his YZF-R6 in the first Supersport practice at the North West 200 yesterday.

The Bingley rider crashed at Mill Road Roundabout where it is reported his bike then caught fire. Although Hutchinson was up and walking, he was taken to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine for a routine check-up.

Hutchinson explained: “I’ve lost a finger nail and a bit of skin in the crash off the Supersport bike, so it’s a bit frustrating. It was a niggly little problem and the bike jumped from first to second and bucked me over the front. I just wanted to get back and get a few laps on the Superbike and get myself settled before Thursday.”

He posted a graphic picture of the injury on Twitter.

The 34-year-old has undergone over 16 operations since 2010 after a crash at Silverstone left him with a severely injured left leg just after winning five TT’s in a week. The decision was made that it was best to sit out of the 2013 season to fully recover.

In November last year Hutchinson proved he was back in the game after winning his first road race, the Macau Grand Prix, since his career-threatening injury.