Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Craig Connell is resting at Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada following five hours of surgery on injuries suffered in a crash during practice for a Canadian Superbike National weekend at Mont-Tremblant Friday.

Connell’s manager, Bill Syfan, told Roadracingworld.com that Connell suffered a broken right femur, broken right tibia, broken right fibula, broken hip socket, a fractured pelvis and several broken ribs in the crash.

Connell was stabilized at a local hospital and then sent by ambulance to Sacred Heart, where surgeons inserted rods in his femur and tibia and repaired other damage. The surgery started at 2:00 a.m. and lasted until 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning, Syfan said.

Connell crashed in a fast part of the track that lacks adequate run-off room, hitting and sliding underneath an Alpina brand inflatable soft barrier placed in front of a concrete wall.

Inflatable soft barriers are designed to be used in conjunction with run-off room and gravel traps, on dirt surfaces. And while much better than haybales or tire barriers in most cases, inflatable soft barriers are less effective when placed on paced surfaces, which was the case at Mont-Tremblant.

The corner Connell crashed in is usually taken at the top of fourth gear, and has about 35 feet of available run-off room.

Craig Connell’s wife, Helen, and his crew chief, John Bancroft, are at the hospital, along with Syfan. Messages can be sent to Craig and Helen Connell via e-mail, at [email protected]