Haskovec will undergo surgery this afternoon. image by tim huntington

I think it was Gary Nixon who once said the only downside of motorcycle racing he was aware of is that sooner or later it will break your heart. What I think he meant is that from time to time motorcycle racing seems to hurt the ones that love it the most.

We've amassed quite a ream of e-mail messages today from readers wanting an update on the condition of Vincent Haskovec.

While there are no shortage of rumors regarding the condition of injured racer Vincent Haskovec, the factual info is that the extent of his most severe injury remains unknown.

Haskovec was injured in a crash during last Saturday's Formula Extreme race. He fell and impacted a wall and then was hit by his sliding motorcycle.

Haskovec suffered several injuries in the incident, including a broken collarbone, ribs, a punctured lung and other fairly serious calamities.

The press release about his condition also lists a "back injury". Reading that gave me a chilling sense of deja-vu, as that was exactly how Wayne Rainey's injury was initially described in 1993.

Credible sources say Haskovec suffered at least partial paralysis in the Saturday crash. Whether this paralysis is permanent remains to be seen. And if there is ever a time when we hope that the information presented here on 'Soup is incorrect, man, this is the day.

Surgery on Vincent will be performed this afternoon to discern the exact extent of his spinal cord injury. Credible sources say that Haskovec's spinal cord, initially, does not appear to be broken, but has suffered damage from broken vertebra fragments.

Over 500 e-mail messages wishing Vincent well have recieved, and he has been encouraged by the outpouring of concern. To send him one, click here.