Rainey Suffers Back Injury During Motorcycle Race in Italy

Wayne Rainey of Downey, three-time defending world motorcycle road-racing champion, suffered a serious back injury Sunday after taking a bad spill during the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Rainey, 32, skidded off a bend exiting turn 1 on the ninth lap while leading on his Yamaha at the Santamonica track. He landed heavily, his bike hitting him as he slid.

Before Luca Cadalora of Italy won the race in the 500cc class by 35-hundredths of a second over Michael Doohan of Australia, Rainey was flown by helicopter to a hospital at nearby Cesena, where officials said he suffered trauma to the back and abdomen.

He was listed in stable condition.

“He suffered trauma to the fourth and fifth vertebrae,” said Gianni Berti, a spokesman for the organizers said.

Kenny Roberts, the team manager of Rainey’s Yamaha team, said Sunday night that the extent of the injury was unclear.

But the spill probably ended Rainey’s hopes for his fourth consecutive world championship and virtually gave the 500cc crown to another American, Kevin Schwantz of Paige, Tex.

Schwantz, third in Sunday’s race, took first place in the standings with 219 points--five points ahead of Rainey.

Rainey is not expected to ride in the season’s last two races, including next weekend’s event at Laguna Seca.