Image: Marc Jones (Foremost Media).

Three-time Superbike world champion Troy Bayliss suspects he sustained a finger fracture as a result of his heavy fall in yesterday’s third race of the YMF Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at The Bend Motorsport Park.

It was a disappointing blow for the DesmoSport Ducati rider/co-owner, who lodged a 2-6 scorecard prior to race three, leading a number of laps before high-siding out of P4 and ultimately prematurely concluding his weekend.

“I’m really disappointed, we had been going good all weekend,” Bayliss explained. “We’ve been struggling with the same thing all year – initial tyre grip – and we’ve tried so many things, but it’s such a fine window to try and get it right. In that last race through the fast rights, you can’t close the gas and you’ve got to hold the throttle.

“I went a tiny bit wide, shut off a little and the back just came around and threw me straight over the handlebars – it was a massive high-side. I came out of it pretty good, I probably have a crack in my finger, but it just knocked the wind out of me really.

“Overall, we were up there and showed a bit of speed. I want to win a couple of races and, more importantly to me, I probably should’ve eased up as I was riding over what the bike was doing this afternoon, but when you get a sniff at it, you want to have a bit of a dig.”

With round four of the championship scheduled for 28 June-1 July at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, Bayliss has an adequate amount of time to rest and recover before racing recommences. He currently sits fifth overall in the standings after being credited eighth in South Australia.