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66 million years ago, an object somewhere between the size of Mt. Everest and the country of Luxembourg (or the island of Puerto Rico) slammed into what would become the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico at a speed of 20 kilometers per second, or 72,000 km/h.

The impact that an asteroid of that size moving at that speed made was unimaginably vast: scientists estimate that the energy released was around 100 million times that produced by Tsar Bomba, the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever built.

The devastation that impact caused, helped along by wide-scale volcanic eruptions and climate change, killed a large percentage of life on earth, wiping out virtually all land and amphibian species larger than 25kg in body weight.

It could happen again. Objects from outer space hit the earth with alarming regularity. 50,000 years ago, a nickel-iron meteorite 50 meters across struck Arizona, creating the aptly named Meteor Crater.

Mini-bikes racing is heating up in the United States, thanks in part to the hilariously fun (and cheap) Honda Grom offerings, as well as the sophisticate and potent machines like what’s coming from Ohvale.

If the sport is to continue, then there needs to be pathway for young racers, and mini-motos is one of the keys to solidying our two-wheeled future. For bonus points, they provide a super-fun and relatively pain-free way for adults to race and crash on the weekend.

The interesting part though is that even if you are a nine-time world champion like Valentino Rossi, the value of a day on a mini-moto is certainly there, as we can see above The Doctor spinning some laps on the machine with his VR|46 cohorts.

There is no challenge like Buriram on the WorldSBK calendar. It is the hottest round of the year, and it places huge physical and mental demands on riders. With temperatures expected to be in the high 100°F’s, the sun and heat will sap the power from riders.

Leon Camier has described racing in those conditions as “brutal” in the past and he’s not wrong. To get an idea of what the riders will go through this weekend, try sitting in a sauna for 30 minutes and then imagine doing that while your heart is racing and you’re wearing leathers and a helmet.

Before travelling to Thailand, I tried to put myself into a rider’s frame of mind and the results were interesting to say the least. We’ve all heard that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s a lie. I didn’t die, but I definitely wasn’t strong afterwards!

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That the world keeps spinning and the clock never stops is one of the few constants in life. For a MotoGP rider, that is even more true. For one in a contract year, it always seems to speed the process up throughout a campaign.

Bradley Smith had to deal with the pressures of expectation last year, and he knows that teething issues will be no excuse in 2018.

The British rider also knows that the KTM will be a sought after seat throughout the silly season, and with Johann Zarco and Dani Pedrosa having been heavily linked with a move to the Austrian manufacturer, it is clear that Smith needs to exceed expectations.

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What happened when Valentino Rossi crashed? How serious is his injury? When will he be back? Who will replace Rossi, if he doesn’t return at Aragon? And what does Yamaha think of Rossi’s training methods?

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis spoke to a small group of journalists at Misano on Saturday morning, to answer these questions and much more.

Jarvis knew about the accident very shortly after it had happened. “I knew before he got to the hospital,” Jarvis told us. “Albi [Tebaldi] called Maio Meregalli as soon as he got the news that Vale was on the way to the hospital. Maio called me straight away.”

The good news was that Rossi’s injury was not as bad as the last time he broke his leg, at Mugello in 2010. “It’s much less serious,” Jarvis told us, “but probably just as irritating.

Irritating because it effectively means his championship chances are over. So whilst the injury is less serious, the consequences are equally as serious.

Especially now being still very much in the game, being on form, having done such a great race in Silverstone, coming to his home Grand Prix where we tested so well. It’s like a worst possible scenario in terms of timing. It’s a great shame.”

Valentino Rossi has suffered slight injuries to his liver and kidneys after crashing an MX bike while training. The Italian had been practicing at the Cross Park Cavallara, near Pesaro, where he crashed his motocross bike. 

The crash was severe enough to cause chest and abdominal trauma, so Rossi was taken to the emergency room at Rimini hospital, where he currently remains.

Thankfully though, the nine-time world champion appears to have emerged from his motocross accident relatively unscathed.

Nicky Hayden was involved in a serious collision with a car today, while training on his bicycle along the Rimini coast.

Hayden was riding his bicycle when an incident with a Peugeot saw Hayden struck by the car, resulting in the former MotoGP champion hitting the car’s hood and breaking through its windshield.

Details are light at this moment, but Hayden is said to have serious injuries to his chest and head from the crash. We will report more information as soon as we have it, and can verify its accuracy.

Updates on Hayden’s condition appear after the jump. This story was last updated on Monday, May 22nd at 11:03 AM.

Hector Barbera has broken his left collarbone in a training accident, the Avintia Ducati team announced via its Instagram account. The 30-year-old Spaniard was training with a 600cc sport bike at the Valencia circuit when he crashed, fracturing his collarbone.

Barbera is due to undergo surgery at the Dexeus Institute in Barcelona on Thursday, where Dr. Mir will put a plate on his collarbone to correct the problem. 

Barbera’s crash puts his participation in the next test at Qatar in doubt. The test is due to kick off on March 10th at the Losail circuit, and run from March 10th to 12th.

The Honda WorldSBK team has put together an intriguing video, where they interview Earl Hayden, father to Nicky Hayden. In the video, Earl talks about how Nicky grew up wanting to be a world champion, and the great lengths he would go through in order to achieve that goal one day.

He also talks about how becoming the MotoGP World Champion in 2006 didn’t really change the person that his son was, and how Nicky has always remained down-to-earth around his friends and family.

Of course, anyone who has spent some time with the Kentucky Kid would know this to be true already. Still, it is a neat video, with some touching words from a proud father. We highly recommend watching it, and then calling your folks. They miss you.

Aleix Espargaro has fractured a vertebra in a training accident. The factory Suzuki rider was out training on an off-road bike, when he landed heavily from a jump, and felt pain in his back.

He was taken to hospital, where an MRI scan revealed a flexion fracture of the vertebra, which will force him to miss the Sepang test planned for next week.

The injury suffered by Espargaro should not see him out of action for long. The Spaniard was discharged from hospital on Friday morning, and will now have to rest for a two to three week period to allow him to recover.

Yonny Hernandez is to miss the first Sepang test. The Colombian rider crashed while riding dirt track, falling heavily on his left shoulder, and dislocating the shoulder. As a result, Hernandez will not be able to ride at Sepang, and will be replaced by Ducati’s test rider, Michele Pirro.

The good news for the Pramac Ducati rider is that the damage was mainly microfractures, and the ligaments and tendons were undamaged. The shoulder is a very complex joint, held together by a complicated network of tendons, cartilege and ligaments which allow it to move freely, but is vulnerable to damage.