Team France’s bid for a third consecutive Motocross of Nations title suffered a setback over the weekend. At the MXGP of Switzerland, MX2 rider Dylan Ferrandis collided with American Thomas Covington in time practice and sustained a broken right forearm.
According to the team, Ferrandis, who was a member of the winning French team in 2014, has already undergone surgery to repair the injury. The surgery was performed by Professor Pascal Rastoucher, a leading specialist for arm and hand injuries who takes care of many leading French rugby players.
"I had a good feeling with the track in the practice sessions, and got the pole pretty easily in the free practice session,” Ferrandis said in a team statement. “Then in the timed practice period I started a fast lap but on the finish jump another rider changed his line and hit my front wheel. It was impossible to avoid the crash, and unfortunately when I was on the ground I already knew that my right arm was broken."
In the initial announcement of the team last week, the French Motorcycle Federation named Benoit Paturel as a reserve rider. Paturel is currently third in the MX2 point standings in the FIM World Motocross Championship.
