Image: Supplied.

A sprained right thumb sustained during Daytona’s first 450SX heat forced Dylan Ferrandis to withdraw from Saturday night’s main event, with a loss of strength and movement prompting an early exit for the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing rider.

Ferrandis qualified sixth-fastest at the famed international speedway onboard his Desmo450 MX, before crashing in the heat and being collected by another rider through a technical off-camber section.

Although he climbed to P7 following the impact, lingering effects compromised his main event, with the 31-year-old suffering another crash before electing to withdraw from the round altogether.

“My day was going pretty good – the bike was a lot better this weekend with the changes we
made,” said Ferrandis. “I had my best qualifying time so far this season [and] I was feeling really good going into the night show.

“I got a good start [to the heat race] and was pushing to move for a pass and crashed and ended up spraining my right thumb. I tried to do everything I could to race the main event, but it was just not enough. The pain was manageable, but the strength and the movement of my thumb was just not enough to finish the main event.”

Following his Daytona non-finish, Ferrandis has slipped to ninth in the Monster Energy Supercross 450SX standings at the halfway point, with both he and the official Ducati team continuing development of the Desmo450 MX in its debut Supercross season.

The second Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing rider, Justin Barcia, was also in attendance at round eight, with the team confirming he has been medically cleared to ride, although the timing of his return to racing remains undetermined.