Lindstrom on Shimoda: “Initially, it looked really serious, but now I’m more hopeful that it’s only a minor setback”

Shimoda’s night was cut short soon after he got a mid-pack start in the 250SX East Region heat race. Congestion forced him to roll a jump and maneuver around a downed rider, resulting in him being landed on by another racer. Shimoda immediately felt pain in his lower left leg, and the medical crew transported him to the Alpinestars medical unit. An initial assessment indicated no bone fractures, and Shimoda will undergo further evaluation this week.

Jo Shimoda:
“Not much to say about my weekend—I wasn’t able to finish a lap in the heat race. I was trying to avoid a rider crashing in front of me and ended up getting landed on. Alpinestars medical told me that there were no broken bones, but possible ligament damage. We’ll know more when I get an MRI.”

Lars Lindstrom, Team Manager:
“A bittersweet night, which is common in racing when you have two riders that are championship contenders. Jo never got a chance to show what he had, and we’re doing everything we can to help him get back to being on the bike. Initially, it looked really serious, but now I’m more hopeful that it’s only a minor setback. Hopefully, we’ll know more after an MRI, but weight on the foot seems to be okay. I’m happy with Hunter’s race; if you’re going to race banged up, especially with a sore wrist, this is not the track you want to be racing at. It was absolutely brutal; Hutch and I had to walk the track afterwards, and that’s when they should have the fans walking the track. It blows my mind that the top guys are able to continue to do the rhythms and jump things out of turns when the track is that soft, rutted and destroyed. We’re satisfied with the result, happy to make up points and be tied for the red plate, but we definitely want more and look forward to battling for this championship to the end!”