Vermeulen reveals injury in China crash

The Rizla Suzuki rider crashed with Ducati Marlboro's Loris Capirossi in the closing minutes of qualifying - wrecking both men's chances of a good grid slot.

But unbeknown to the outside world, Vermeulen had also badly injured his toe in the accident - and then refused painkillers before his ride to seventh place.

"I don't need any stitches or surgery because the end of my toe was burnt when it was grinding on the road in the crash and that sealed the wound," Vermeulen was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press agency.

"My toe-slider got trapped under the bike and ripped the boot open. I scraped the skin off the top of my little toe but the end of my fourth toe got sliced off, including the whole toenail. Luckily I didn't grind any of the bone anyway."

Vermeulen said he did not want to take pain killers for fear that his foot would become numb - and he then would not be able to feel the brakes.

"I got some treatment and it didn't get that painful until I had to ride in the race and then I really felt it," he said.

"It's my right foot, which I use for the brakes, and I didn't want to numb my foot and then not be able to feel the brakes."