Wilson sidelined by Surfers' shunt.

No sooner had RuSPORT returned to full two-car strength than another injury blow reduced it to a single entry for Surfers' Paradise, after Justin Wilson was ruled out of the rest of the meeting after picking up a wrist injury in practice.

Wilson sustained the injury during Friday's pre-qualifying warm-up, having set the third fastest time in morning practice. Unlike several of his rivals, who found the unforgiving walls around the Gold Coast circuit, however, the Briton caught an apex tyre with a front wheel and, although there was no damage to the car, the contact jerked the steering wheel out of his hands.

Under the supervision of Champ Car's medical team, he was taken to hospital for x-rays which revealed that he had broken the scaphoid bone, and injury too severe for him to continue driving, according to Champ Car's director of medical affairs, Dr Chris Pinderski.

"Justin suffered a fracture of his scaphoid bone in his right wrist, and [that] will preclude him from participating this weekend," the medic said in a statement, "He will be re-evaluated upon his return to the United States."

Missing a shot at pole position and being ruled out of the rest of the weekend means that Wilson's slim title hopes have now gone for good, despite having been able to return the RuSPORT car to the pits after his contact.

"I'm very disappointed not to be able to race this weekend," the Briton sighed, "It is a track and a race that I enjoy a lot and one I was looking forward to. I thought we had a very good chance of finishing on the podium for CDW, and it seems hard to believe that such a small incident can put me out for the weekend. What makes this more difficult is that, from a racetrack configuration standpoint, this was totally avoidable."