Cypress California, May 15, 2008 - Yamaha Factory rider Broc Hepler crashed yesterday while out practicing in preparation for his attack on the 2008 AMA Nationals. Broc had adapted almost immediately to the 2008 YZ450F and looked to be a very strong contender for the title.
In the crash Broc suffered a clean break to the ulna bone in his right arm just below his elbow. To help the healing process and insure a speedy recovery Broc underwent surgery on the arm Wednesday night and had a small plate installed.
Broc's prognosis looks very good, with the current recovery timeline seeing Broc in a cast for 3 weeks and off the bike in the neighborhood of 6 to 8 weeks.
"I'm just really bummed right now. Everything was going so well. I absolutely love the 2008 YZ450F and now because of one tiny mistake I'm back on the injured list. Everything went extremely well with the surgery though and I can't wait to get back on the bike", said Broc Hepler.
"This is just really unfortunate as Broc had made amazing progress during all of our YZ450F testing. I'm glad to hear everything went well with his surgery and I'm looking forward to his return in the middle of the Nationals", said Team Manager Jim Perry.
No exact date has been set for Broc's return.