Although we’re still five days away from Round 7 of the 250SX East Region in St. Louis on Saturday, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM’s Alex Martin has already announced he will not be racing. On his Instagram account on Monday, Martin wrote that due to injuries sustained in Detroit he will not be lining up this weekend.
“Unfortunately, due to injuries sustained from the practice incident in Detroit, I will be sitting out St. Louis this weekend. Really disappointed for it to happen this way, but I can't thank the team and sponsors enough for the support this season!”
In qualifying last Saturday, Martin got slammed by GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig in the corner prior to the finish line. The impact sent Martin flying over the berm and into the start straight, where he landed on his neck and back. After slowly getting up under his owner power, Martin sat on a Tuff Block while being attended to by the Alpinestars Medical Crew. He did leave the track under his own power, but did not race the main event.
Craig was fined and penalized (last gate pick in the main event) for his actions and issued an apology on his Instagram account:
I want to apologize to Alex for what happened in practice. My intentions are never to make someone crash. I was frustrated that my fastest lap was getting interrupted. He had rolled the whoops on the same lap so I figured he would get out of the way since he was on a slow lap. That doesn't justify what happened but I am sorry and I have been fined and penalized for my actions on the track.
In his first year with the team, Martin has had an up and down season and is currently eighth in 250SX East Region points standings with one podium on the season. The East Region goes on a long break after this weekend, returning in East Rutherford on April 29.
