Briton Dean Wilson and 450 champ Eli Tomac both failed to finish the Anaheim Supercross on Saturday after separate crashes in which both of them injured their shoulder. Wilson went down hard in a qualifying race and didn’t make the final. Tomac fell while leading the final. He stopped to fasten up his trousers that had become undone in the spill, but then retired a lap later. Kawasaki confirmed he has badly bruised the shoulder, and as yet there is no news about whether he’ll race round two on Saturday.

For Wilson, it seems the injury is not as bad as first feared but he says it seems unlikely he’ll be fit for the next round in Houston. He said: “Seen the Dr yesterday. The man upstairs was looking after me. Nothing torn, I got very lucky. The MRI report is I got a bad contusion in my shoulder a strained rotator cuff and bone bruising also a sprained wrist.

“Dr said my muscles in my shoulder are so beat up it’s like someone took a meat hammer and battered them. So anyways I’m lucky nothing is torn. I will be doing therapy every day and doing everything in my power to be back. It’s not likely I will make Houston as I still can’t lift my arm up but I will just take it day by day. Thank you everybody for the get well wishes and prayers sent I appreciate you all? We will be back. Thanks to all for sticking with me.”