News 13 Jul 2017

Buckley claims no fault in Hidden Valley Falzon clash

Superbike rookie due to undergo surgery on broken ankle.

Image: Keith Muir.

Kawasaki BCperformance’s Kyle Buckley has denied he was at fault in the controversial Darwin clash between he and Daniel Falzon in Sunday’s opening Superbike race.

Buckley sustained a broken ankle in the incident that caused a red flag stoppage at Hidden Valley’s fourth round of the 2017 YMF Australian Superbike Championship.

While Falzon was able to restart the race and go on to cross the line in sixth, a decision from Motorcycling Australia (MA) to exclude and then reinstate the co-points leader has sparked immense debate across social media.

Falzon said yesterday that it was contact initiated by Buckley that caused him to low-side as both riders went down, however Buckley disputed those claims when contacted afterwards overnight.

“My experience is that I tipped into the turn five, as I did every lap before,” Buckley told CycleOnline.com.au “The first sign of any problem was when I felt a bike smash into the side of me and I went down. The rest is clear. After seeing all of what’s happened over the last 24 hours, I’m confused what the ruling a: causing the incident and b: being involved in the incident, constitutes?”

Buckley is scheduled to undergo surgery on his ankle on Wednesday, still tentatively targeting a return for Morgan Park at the end of August: “My focus now is on my broken leg and trying to come back as soon as I can, as strong as I can.”

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