French grinder Christian Karcher will sit out the 31st America’s Cup Match after suffering complications to an old hip injury. Another Frenchman, Bernard Labro, will also sit out the best-of-nine series after breaking his clavicle in a traffic accident.

“Everyone is disappointed, but with a team of more than 100 persons it’s the sort of thing you have to have a plan for,” said Alinghi spokesman Bernard Schopfer. “We have back-ups for every position and they’re ready to step in.”

The 42-year-old Karcher, a veteran of three America’s Cup campaigns, aggravated a hip injury first sustained more than 25 years ago while playing football and rugby. He aggravated a fissure in his hip socket when he fell on a grinder pedestal during a heavy-air training session last November.

After consulting with the Alinghi team physician and doctors outside the team, Karcher continued to race with the understanding that he could further injure himself.

“I’ve had my right hip operated on 11 times,” Karcher said. “My pelvis is a mixture of titanium, plastic, stainless steel, glue, bone grafts and a few broken screws. Metal detectors go off when I go through airports.”

While recuperating from his 11th operation, Karcher wrote on the ceiling of his hospital room, “There’s no reason to give up.”

On February 1, Karcher injured this fragile part of his hip and the crack broke completely, making it impossible for him to sail.

“Christian remains with us in Auckland and continues to manage the winch team, with his talent and personality that we know well,” said Alinghi sports director Jochen Schuemann. “We lose one of the most experienced people in the Cup, who had participated in most of the Louis Vuitton Cup races, but we have another grinder who is ready to occupy this post.`

Schopfer said that Dominik Neidhart, a 34-year-old Swiss man, will replace Karcher on the grinders.

Alinghi represents Neidhart’s second Cup syndicate. His first was with the first Swiss Cup syndicate, FAST 2000, where he was also a grinder. Far from just a grinder, Neidhart is studying sports medicine.

“After this Cup, I really want to finish med school,” Neidhart said. “I can quite see myself becoming a sports doctor, and continuing to sail.”

Labro, 33 and sailing with his fourth Cup syndicate, is just one of the many America’s Cup sailors and related personnel who have suffered an injury on the streets of Auckland.

Labro broke his collar bone when he got thrown off his motor scooter. Earlier this week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Labro was driving his motor scooter when a bus failed to indicate before making a sudden left-hand turn.

Labro jammed on the brakes of his scooter and jumped free. He hit the pavement and broke his left clavicle, but suffered no other injuries. His arm is in immobilised in a sling and the prognosis calls for a six-week period of healing.

`A broken clavicle is not a very major injury, but it is disappointing to be injured right before the America's Cup,” said Labro. “I will carry on pushing in certain areas where I can. This is my fourth America's Cup, and I hope the next one will be better.`

Source: Sean McNeill