From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Corser in a twist over Silverstone

Foggy PETRONAS Racing star Troy Corser has suffered a dramatic late twist to his preparations for this weekend’s sixth round of the Superbike World Championship at Silverstone.

The Australian former world champion, who qualified in pole position at the previous round in Germany, will start Friday’s practice sessions still suffering the effects of a high-speed crash in the last race at Oschersleben.

Troy sustained neck and spine injuries when he hit the tyre wall and, in order to be fit to take part at the team’s home event, has undergone radical medical treatment at home in Monaco. He and team-mate Chris Walker are separated by just one point at eighth and ninth in the rider standings.

Troy said: “The specialist said the third and fourth vertebrae in the neck were locked one way and three vertebrae in the lower back were locked in the other direction. So my back and neck were effectively twisted in opposite directions. So I have been having treatment to realign my neck and spine by placing weights on those areas and letting the body adjust itself rather than cricking them back into place. The treatment was not painful but he warned me that it would be sore afterwards and I could hardly get out of bed the next day! Now they feel okay. He also did some work on my shoulder, which has been causing trouble ever since I crashed at Magny Cours last season and was aggravated at Phillip Island and Oschersleben. He said that a ligament had flicked over the top of its normal attachment to the joint and was causing a cramping spasm in my arm. My hip is bruised as well and my wrists are sore when I push down on them, but I am hoping that none of this will cause too much of a problem. I won’t be having painkilling injections unless I have to as I don’t believe in them.

“Silverstone reminds me of Assen as it is fast and sweeping but I struggled there last year as it was my first time at the circuit and we weren’t able to get too much set-up data because of limited time out on track. So in some ways we are starting afresh, although the FP1 is a lot better now. I think we should be finishing in the top five or six and anything else would be a bonus considering the strength of the Ducatis. For PETRONAS to be ahead of Honda and Kawasaki at this stage is already a real achievement.”

The second race on Sunday will be the 400th in the history of the Superbike World Championship, with FPR team owner Carl Fogarty having won a record 59. Troy holds the record for the number of pole positions with 29. Over the 17 years of the world championship, rounds of SBK have been held at 39 different circuits in 20 countries.