Injury Update
The Doctor, Valentino Rossi, plans to make a MotoGP house call on his Fiat Yamaha M1 in late August to the United States (USA).
Motorcycle road racing legend VR46 said on June 26th that he hopes to return to action in time for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on August 15, the race before the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on August 27-29 at the Speedway. This allows Rossi more recovery time to get to the second of two rounds in the States.
2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Rossi suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg in a vicious, high-side crash June 5 during the Italian Grand Prix.
Valentino Rossi (Seven-time MotoGP World Champion) says: “Three weeks have passed since the accident and two since I was discharged from hospital, and I am very happy about how my recuperation is progressing. I am feeling a lot better and I’m starting to live a semi-normal life again, although for a completely ‘normal’ life I will have to wait until I’m back on my bike.”
“I am walking with crutches, and since a few days I’ve been able to put my foot to the floor. Honestly, I didn’t expect to feel this good just a few weeks after the incident, and I mean both physically and in my ‘spirit.’
“The rehabilitation is continuing as usual, both sitting in the hyperbaric chamber and with some exercises in the gym. Unfortunately my shoulder is still giving me some pain, but I am working on the muscles to reduce the pain a bit. If the rehabilitation proceeds without trouble and if everything continues in this way, then my objective is to return at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno.”
Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha teammate, 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Jorge Lorenzo, has won two of the three races during Rossi’s absence and leads the World Championship.
American rookie Ben Spies also has surged during Rossi’s convalescence, earning his first career MotoGP podium finish at the Grand Prix of Great Britain on June 20 and finishing fourth in TT Assen on June 26 on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine.
There are three American riders in the top 10 of the MotoGP point standings: 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden is tied with Rossi for fourth, Spies is eighth and Colin Edwards 10th.
The next MotoGP race is the Grand Prix of Catalunya on Sunday, July 4. SPEED will televise the race live at 8 a.m. (ET) July 4.
