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Date: 02 April 2006.
To my team, friends, family, fans and sponsors.
Obviously my season hasn’t started how I planned it! I’ve been working extremely hard for the past six months leading up to the first GP and I have made a lot of sacrifices to give myself and the team the best chance at this season. Last Wednesday I was training in Belgium and I caught my right shoulder on a post. It dislocated and then went back into place straight away. I kept riding thinking it wasn’t real but then my shoulder gave way again and I was forced to stop, in a lot of pain.
Thursday morning I met with Dr Toon Claes to have an x-ray, scan and an ultrasound - I hate going to Dr Claes as he always looks at the x-rays and goes “aha, aha” which normally follows with the bad news. Basically I dislocated my shoulder for the first time at Hawkestone Park last year damaging the bottom part of the cuff. When I dislocated it this past Wednesday I damaged the top part of the cuff - of course there are technical terms for what I’ve done but it all went in one ear and out of the other. I was just so devastated and all I heard were the numbers 50/50, that being the chance I had of not having reoccurring problems.
I tried to ride yesterday (Saturday) and it wasn’t stable even with all the tape and brace. There is just no way I can last the season like this and I don’t want to be a rider making up the numbers - I want to be in the race to try and win!
I want to apologise to CAS Honda, my family, friends, fans and of course my personal sponsors and the team’s sponsors. If you know me well you know I give 100% in my training and racing. I will be back when the team (Harry, Neil, Fabio and Roger) believe I can race at that level. As for the time this is going to take, we don’t really know until I have surgery next week but it’s expected I will be training on the bike in eight weeks. I also want to thank Jacky Vimond and Stefan Nuesser my coach and trainer. Both have supported me in my preparation and through this injury.
I wish my competitors good racing and I’m sorry I can’t be there to make it a better race.
A wise person told me once told me, some people succeed because they are destined to. Most succeed because they are determined to!
Josh Coppins # 2.
