Honda has apologized to Casey Stoner after finding that a "throttle mechanical issue" was to blame for his high-speed crash during Sunday's Suzuka 8 Hour race.
The former MotoGP World Champion suffered multiple injuries in the crash, including a broken scapula and fractured tibia.
After conducting a detailed analysis, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) released the following statement:
"This kind of problem hasn't arisen before, however, HRC will cease using this throttle specification and will design a new one to be used for endurance races.
"HRC would like to apologize to Casey Stoner and thank him for the effort he made in attending the Suzuka 8 Hour event."
Stoner was leading the endurance classic for HARC-Pro Honda at the time of the malfunction. However, heavy damage to the bike put an end to the team's quest for a third consecutive Suzuka 8 Hour victory.
It was Stoner's first competitive motorcycle race since retiring from MotoGP in 2012.
Well my #Suzuka8H ended spectacularly!Stuck Throttle = Broken Scapula + Fractured Tibia and a few more tweaks. Sucks! pic.twitter.com/aNtgwDGIzG
— Casey Stoner (@Official_CS27) July 26, 2015
