Marco Melandri suffered a dislocated left shoulder after a massive high-side crash in this morning’s final free practice session at the famous Assen circuit.
The Italian ran off track at the Ruskenhoek corner but disaster struck when he tried to steer his San Carlo Gresini Honda back on track.
Melandri was able scrub off speed on the ample tarmac run-off but as he attempted to negotiate a small strip of grass to get back on the track, the former world 250GP champion was viciously high-sided.
Melandri is currently undergoing treatment in an Assen hospital but will definitely miss tomorrow’s 26-lap race.
Early indications are that he will be fit for the Catalunya race near Barcelona next weekend. Motorcycle News
Melandri becomes the third member of the full time 2010 grid to be sidelined - after Valentino Rossi and Hiroshi Aoyama - and the fourth rider to miss a race this year, with Alvaro Bautista skipping Le Mans due to a collarbone injury.
Ducati’s Nicky Hayden fell in the final minutes, but was unhurt. Yahoo! Eurosport
“I went wide coming into the turn at the back of the pits and tried to get onto the tarmac path back onto the track, but I couldn’t get on it and as I headed back towards the track I was worried I might hit another rider so I tried to change my line,” explained Melandri.
“Unfortunately I lost the rear on the grass and when I got back onto the tarmac it gripped and threw me into the air. I knew straight away that my shoulder was out… now I have to look ahead to hopefully having a good race at Barcelona.”
“Whenever a rider is injured and can’t make it to the grid there is always a great sense of loss in the team. Fortunately the injury is not quite as bad as we thought and we hope to see him back on the bike as soon as possible,” added team manager Fausto Gresini. Yahoo! Eurosport
Click Here to Read More:
MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo Claims Pole For Tim TT Assen
MotoGP: Tim TT Assen - Race Line Up
MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo Fastest in First Practice at Assen
| 
|