Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo is certain to win the 2010 MotoGP World Championship after title rival Dani Pedrosa suffered a triple fracture of his left collarbone early in the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
The Spaniard had completed one full lap when he crashed midway through his second flying lap. The only video available was shot from the onboard camera and it doesn’t give a clear indication of what happened. He appears to have gotten into some kind of a wobble and was thrown to the ground, hitting his left side as the bike slid away from him.
Pedrosa was taken to the infield medical care center where it was determined that he would need surgery. No time estimate was given for how soon he could return to racing, but the timing of the crash couldn’t have been worse. Motorcycle News
He is likely to miss three races which take place over consecutive weekends.
“When he crashed he suffered a multiple fracture of the left collarbone, and that requires an operation to have the best chance of returning to racing as soon as possible,” said MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena.
He also hinted Pedrosa would definitely miss the next round of the championship, in Malaysia.
“First we need to know when he can be operated on, then we will know when he can race again. We will see him in Australia (the round after Malaysia).
It had been feared Pedrosa had also suffered an ankle fracture but this was ruled out.
“We x-rayed the ankle as well and it is okay. He had old fractures but nothing new, just a small contusion.” BBC Sport
UPDATE: October 2, 2010 08:55 am
Dani Pedrosa underwent surgery today to fix a titanium plate to the fractured left collarbone he suffered in a fall yesterday during free practice for the Grand Prix of Japan. The two-hour operation at the Dexeus University Institute Hospital in Barcelona was a success and Pedrosa is now recuperating. The surgeon in charge, Dr. Xavier Mir, said afterwards that the procedure went very well but that it is still too early to predict possible timescales for Pedrosa’s recovery.
After his crash yesterday, Pedrosa flew in the evening from Japan to his home city of Barcelona, arriving this morning in understandable discomfort following the 18-hour journey via Paris. During an examination prior to the operation it was also confirmed that Pedrosa had done nothing more than sprain his left ankle when his leg was momentarily trapped under the machine during the fall yesterday. The Repsol Honda Team rider is expected to remain in hospital for between 24 and 48 hours.
Dr. Xavier Mir
“The operation went very well. Dani had a four fragment chip fracture of the left collarbone and, together with Doctors Marlet and Ginebreda, we have performed a fixation with a titanium plate, made especially for the collarbone. We have fixed the two intermediate fragments with two compression screws. Regarding the left ankle, while in surgery, we performed another stress x-ray and saw that we were dealing with a grade 1 ankle sprain, which will heal in a short space of time. The rider is recently out of surgery and I think we must wait at least 48 hours, after which time, if all goes well, we may begin rehabilitation. At this time, it is not possible to give precise dates for recovery.”
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