Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Vaclav “Vincent” Haskovec, 31, was seriously injured in a high-speed single-bike crash at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California during Saturday’s AMA Formula Xtreme race. After he lost control and was flung from his racebike at over 100 mph, Haskovec flew back-first into a steel barrier fronted by a stack of car tires, and then was stuck by his motorcycle.
Haskovec suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a punctured lung and a shattered T6 vertebra, with paralysis below the chest.
On Monday night, May 16, surgeons inserted hardware designed to stabilize the broken section of his spine, and removed bone fragments from his spinal cord. Haskovec may be transferred to a rehabilitation facility as early as later this week, and his long-term prognosis is unknown.
The team has set up an e-mail account to receive messages for Vincent, getwellvincent@gmail.com, and more than 1000 e-mails had arrived by the close of business Tuesday. The flood of e-mails sent from all corners of the world continues to be a source of comfort for Vincent, his family and his close friends.
While some parts of the Infineon road course featured soft barriers designed to absorb impact, there were no soft barriers placed in front of the tire wall and steel barrier Haskovec hit. Following his crash, soft barriers were deployed in front of the barrier.
The entire Team M4 EMGO Suzuki crew thanks fans for their support of Vincent, and urges racetrack operators and motorcycle sanctioning bodies to focus on pro-actively placing soft barriers not just in front of walls that motorcycle racers have hit, but instead, in front of walls racers may hit.
Additional information on Haskovec’s condition will be released as it becomes available, and will also be posted on www.teamhammer.com.
