Hand sidelined by Milwaukee testing shunt.

DSTP Motorsports driver Joey Hand will be sidelined for the next few events in this season's CART Toyota Atlantic Championship due to injuries sustained in a recent testing accident at the Milwaukee Mile.

The 23-year old suffered injuries to his back after making contact with the turn four wall in the team's Atlantic car late Friday afternoon.

"Joey sustained compression fractures of the T-11, 12 and L-1 vertebrae in the middle of his back," said Dr Terry Trammell, CART's chief orthopaedic consultant after examining Hand yesterday at Ortho Indy medical centre in Indianapolis, "He'll need to be in a brace for three months and out of the car for that length of time. He also has a fractured left knee-cap that will be treated with a brace."

"We're committed to Joey 100 per cent," said Dede Rogers, DSTP Motorsports team owner, "He has a great future ahead with us, so we want to be sure that he takes the time to heal properly and is as healthy as possible before getting back into the car."

DSTP will continue with this year's Atlantic season and will announce its plans in the coming weeks.