From a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha:

Garry McCoy’s ongoing right leg injury has forced him out of the 2002 MotoGP Championship for the next 6-8 weeks. Garry broke his lower leg in both the tibia and fibula at the IRTA test in Estoril, Portugal in February this year and the 30-year-old Australians recovery has been very slow and painful.

After being flown to Vienna straight from the test and an operation by Dr. Reinhardt Weinstabel McCoy was passed fit enough some 6 weeks after the break to ride in the opening round of the 2002 MotoGP Season at Suzuka, Japan. The return was more painful than it should have been thanks to one of the screws working themselves loose.

With this removed before the South African round Garry was able to qualify a superb fifth there and run at the head of the second group until understandably tiring in the second half of the race.

He was looking forward to an even more successful third round but found himself in significantly increased pain at Jerez. He hoped that missing the team’s test the following week at Mugello would see him rested and in better shape at Le Mans. Unfortunately this was not the case at all and after Friday’s practice he explained to the team’s Director of Racing Peter Clifford that he simply couldn’t ride.

Back in Vienna, Dr. Weinstabel discovered the cause of the pain; bone spurs growing in his ankle. These unwanted bone growths are at the site of a nasty break sustained some 2 years and a half years ago, in August 1998 at Brno, when riding for the Shell Advance Honda Team on a Honda V-Twin 500. That incident involved a crash with Mick Doohan.

It seems that the Estoril crash must have done some damage to that old injury resulting in the bone growths that are now causing the problem. Dr. Weinstabel decided to operate on Garry’s ankle. (Tuesday 21st May)

Peter Clifford says, “The results of the MRI Scan today are both good and bad. Good, in that we now know exactly the extent of Garry’s injury and why he has been in so much pain and bad, because this is obviously very disappointing for Garry to miss so many races this season. He has had more than his share of bad breaks and after following his severe wrist injury last year, he was looking forward to a full and rewarding season.”

Frenchman, Jean-Michel Bayle, the legendary Motocross Champion and Red Bull Yamaha’s Test Rider for 2002, took over the YZR 500 at Le Mans in place of the injured McCoy. After only one qualifying session on Saturday he finished the French GP in the points. Jean-Michel will continue to ride the Red Bull Yamaha at the next round in Mugello and this could mean the Bayle competes for the Red Bull Yamaha Team for the next 4 GPs.

Peter Clifford is delighted to have JMB ride for his team. “Bayle made great progress on the bike over the 2 days at Le Mans and he has tested for us at Mugello quite recently. We anticipate him helping to continue to develop the bike and tyres so that John Hopkins has the best support and so that Garry has good equipment when he returns. JMB does not want to be considered a full time racer so any results he attains will be a bonus.”