You have got to be kidding me.

Tommy Hill (pictured) spends nine months fighting a batch of horrific injuries to finally be in good enough shape to throw his leg over a race bike again, qualifies in an incredible eighth-fastest time in Germany - and then gets taken out by someone else's crash at the start of the World Supersport race, breaking his right femur again.

It's a good job that we're not allowed to swear on this website because the frustration and the collective disbelief that swamped over everyone in the BSB paddock when we heard the news has left a lot of us filled with anger at the unjust fate that falls on some riders.

Tommy did not deserve that weekend. We've known him for a few years now and there is simply no other rider out there who so embodies the old-school racing ethic of 'train hard, ride hard and push hard'.

Tommy's a scrapper, a proper bruiser who never gives up. And he's already being positive about the rest of his year: having just got off the phone to Tom, he's now off to have the leg properly worked on before working out the next batch of recuperation.

As a fan, motorcycle racing can be so annoying when one of your favourite riders gets dealt a low blow.

Still, let's not lose sight of reality here. Nobody lost their life in the crash, and it's a broken leg that will heal and allow Tommy to be back out racing in a matter of weeks. When the second part of the race got underway, it ended up with an Aussie one-two-three with a canny ride by Andrew Pitt to take the win - Josh Brookes was just a fraction of a second behind, pushing all the way to the line.

It was classic Supersport action, exactly what we've come to expect from the Axe Murderers in 2008.

As far as the Superbikes go, there's some talk already over Troy Bayliss's replacement next year. While the Aussie's championship chase is suffering the odd blip or two, speculation is heating up with regards to who will replace him at Ducati next year.

Of course, there are always names thrown into the pot during silly season and with Troy having talked about leaving earlier in the year, his berth has kicked things off.

We've already had Colin Edwards dipping his toe in the water with the odd comment here and there designed to spark debate. Brendan Roberts, currently on duty with the Xerox Ducati Junior Team in Superstock, has also been mentioned - which makes sense because he is very much like Bayliss in riding style, attitude and personality; plus he's an Aussie so the promo and marketing channels Down Under would remain open for the Italian factory. And now it seems that former champ Chris Vermeulen is being touted as a replacement for Bayliss too.

It's a weird one this and to be honest I can't see either Colin or Chris giving up their rides in MotoGP unless they had no other choice. They are both very, very good riders who are more than capable of getting on a GP podium so I for one can't believe that they would step off that platform just yet.

Mind you, after yesterday's race I wonder if Troy Corser might be in with a shout on the booming V-twin; now there is a thought!

Tony Carter / Eurosport