Title challenges hit as Davies and Booth-Amos crash out

Davies, from Presteigne, Mid Wales, had started the weekend in fine form taking a 10th-placed finished Saturday's opening race before a crash in Sunday's points-scoring Superpole ended his weekend in Catalunya, Spain, early.

Newport's Booth-Amos was also injured following a crash in the World Supersport 300 race and left the track with a broken hand and shoulder.

The injuries could jeopardise Davies' chance of winning the best independent rider title after it was confirmed on Tuesday he would be replaced by Loris Baz for the next round.

Meanwhile Booth-Amos faces a race against time to try and get back for this weekend's meeting in Jerez to have any chance of claiming the WorldSSP300 crown.

He has already been successfully operated and will now to wait if he is fit to ride this weekend.

Team Go Eleven rider Davies, 35, had qualified 13th for Saturday opening race when the heavens opened.

As all the riders switched to wet tyres, Davies struggled for grip in the opening laps before settling into the conditions and picking up the pace, overtaking three riders on the final circulation to take 10th.

But Sunday proved to be a disastrous affair for Davies when a collision in the Superpole race with Lucas Mahias, who was subsequently penalised and ordered to start from the back for race two, resulted in a high-speed crash.

After an exchange of positions with Mahias, heading to turn 11 and 12, the French rider completely missed his trajectory and hit the Welshman, which saw both bikes hit the air fences.

Davies was eventually carried off on a stretcher and transported to hospital for further checks and tests. Despite not losing consciousness, he was left with severe pain in the right side of his body and it was decided he would not be racing in Jerez this weekend.

Team manager Denis Sacchetti said: "The Superpole race is spectacular but someone had too much enthusiasm and this time our rider went to the hospital.

"Now we hope the result of the CT scan is negative. Chaz complained of pain in his right side but at the medical centre he laughed and joked and the first thing he asked was to prepare the bike for race two – he wanted to race!"

Catalyna was also an important weekend for Booth-Amos, 24, and his RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki team as he looked to close the 21-point gap to championship leader Adrian Huertas.

Starting from the first row, Booth-Amos' weekend was over in a flash as he came together with another rider in the breaking zone for turn one and crashed.

He indicated he was okay after finishing 26th but after a medical check Booth-Amos was diagnosed with a broken hand and shoulder, which required surgery on Monday.

The team is now waiting to see if he can race this weekend and atthe season finale at Portimao, in Portugal, a week later.

Team manager Rob Vennegoor: ‘This was not our weekend, unfortunately.

Close racing doesn't always deliver the results we all work so hard for as we have seen with Tom.

"It’s such as shame as he was fast this weekend.

"This was the first race weekend of a triple header and we have to wait and see how the hand and shoulder of Tom will improve this week.

"We all have our fingers crossed for Jerez and we will do all we can to have Tom on the bike in the last two race weekends of the year."