Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha's Colt Nichols has announced he suffered a broken bone in his hand at the Salt Lake City 7 Supercross finale. According to the team, Nichols has undergone surgery to fix the third metacarpal bone in his hand and will miss the first two rounds of the 2020 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, set to begin in Indiana on July 18.
On the last lap of the 250SX East Region heat race while running second and third, respectively, Nichols and GEICO Honda's Chase Sexton got together on the landing of a rhythm section, causing both riders to go down. Sexton managed to remount and finish second but Nichols took a while to get going and rolled the last few parts of the track after, appearing banged up from the incident. Nichols crossed the finish line in ninth (the final transfer spot), less than half a second ahead of tenth place finisher Jace Owen. However, Nichols did not start the main event.
You can watch the incident below:
In an interview on the PulpMX Show last week, Sexton said he texted Nichols afterwards and there were no hard feelings on the get together:
"I texted Colt and I said I was sorry, but I think he kind of agreed it was a racing incident. I think he misjudged where I was at, and I misjudged how much room I actually had."
Sexton said later on in the interview:
"I really like Colt and I think he’s a good guy. He didn’t do it, I don’t think on purpose either. ...He’s cool. He’s not one of those guys that’s going to play that card, I don’t think."
In today's press release from Nichols' team, Nichols explained it this way:
Of the crash, which involved Eastern Regional 250 Supercross Champion Chase Sexton, Nichols says, “Initially I was thinking ‘How did that just happen?’ but after reviewing the footage of the crash, I realize that I misjudged how close he was to me when I went double-single and cut to the inside. I did look over my shoulder, but I simply didn’t see him. It was a racing incident.”
Below is the full press release from the Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha team:
Temecula, CA—After great showings in the four Eastern Regional 250 Supercross races in Salt Lake City, Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Colt Nichols was involved in a heat race crash with another rider at the East/West Shootout series finale and suffered a broken bone in his right hand. The Oklahoma native underwent surgery to repair the damage on Friday, June 26, and he will likely miss the first two rounds of the Lucas Oil 250 Pro Motocross Championship.
“I’m very disappointed, to say the least,” says Nichols. “I was really enjoying being back to racing in Salt Lake City and I was happy with the way I was riding. It was good to get back on the podium and run up front, and I was looking forward to carrying that momentum into the MX nationals.
“I knew that something was broken at the track, but I waited to get back to SoCal with my regular physician to learn the extent of the injury,” adds Nichols. “I broke the third metacarpal bone in my hand—not a horrible injury—but it required a small plate and a few screws to expedite the healing. I originally wanted to try and make it to the first national, but doctors say it needs four-to-six weeks to heal. We’ll play it by ear.”
Of the crash, which involved Eastern Regional 250 Supercross Champion Chase Sexton, Nichols says, “Initially I was thinking ‘How did that just happen?’ but after reviewing the footage of the crash, I realize that I misjudged how close he was to me when I went double-single and cut to the inside. I did look over my shoulder, but I simply didn’t see him. It was a racing incident.”
“We are obviously disappointed that Colt will be out for a bit with injury,” says team manager Wil Hahn. “Colt worked so hard to get back up to speed following his off-season shoulder injury and we were really expecting a lot from him in the MX nationals this summer. Last summer, he enjoyed the best motocross finishes of his career and he’s sure to better those in 2020.”
