From a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Byrne to miss rest of MotoGP season

MS Aprilia Racing’s Shane Byrne has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2004 MotoGP world championship.

The British rider will miss the last four races having discovered the extent of the right wrist injury he suffered at the Czech Republic GP in Brno on August 21 is more serious than initially thought.

Having bravely battled to 13th place in the Japanese GP earlier this month, Byrne visited doctors in England on his return from the Far East last week, where a badly broken scaphoid bone was diagnosed. The 27-year-old flew to see GP doctor Claudio Costa in Italy on Saturday where it was confirmed the wrist requires surgery. Dr Costa also identified serious ligament damage in the wrist and Byrne was due to fly back to Italy on Wednesday for the operation, which brings his hugely promising debut MotoGP campaign to a premature end. Byrne scored a best finish of 10th place in the Italian GP earlier in the season, and scored points in six of the nine races he contested.

Byrne will need to spend the next three to five weeks with a lightweight cast on the wrist before he can begin a strict rehabiliation in the hope he will be fit to begin winter testing in November. Byrne said: “I am devastated but I know the operation is the best course of action. I could probably carry on riding but then you risk crashing again. I agreed with Aprilia that it was best to have the operation now so that I am fit and raring to go for winter testing. I wouldn’t be able to do myself justice anyway with the wrist like it is. The scaphoid is quite badly broken and I also need the ligaments reconstructing. I’m just concentrating on getting back to full fitness, and appreciate the understanding that Aprilia have shown at what is a very frustrating time.

MS Aprilia Racing management confirmed that Jeremy McWilliams will be the team’s lone entry in this weekend’s historic Qatar GP – the first time world championship racing hits the Middle East. Noale factory bosses are now considering possible replacements for the Sepang, Phillip Island and Valencia races. An announcement is expected in the coming days.