Injury Update
Even at 31 years old, Valentino Rossi is proving his physical condition is optimal – just four weeks after breaking his leg during the MotoGP practice at Mugello, the Italian will be back on track today, participating in a private test on a Yamaha YZF-R1 World Superbike.
The test, which will be conducted in Misano, Italy, will allow the Fiat Yamaha team to better understand Rossi’s condition. If all goes well for the nine-time world champion, he may be able to return for Round 8 of MotoGP action at Sachsenring in Germany.
Fiat Yamaha says: "Riding a racing motorcycle will help Valentino and his doctors to plan the next stage of his rehabilitation program in order that he may return to racing as soon as he feels confident to do so. The test will take place using a YZF-R1 WSB machine provided by the Yamaha World Superbike Team to the Fiat Yamaha Team. Yamaha will inform the media later today of the results of the test and of Valentino’s condition."
This early return was predicted by Rossi’s doctor, Claudio Costa. He told the following to the Italian newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport.
Claudio Costa says "This is payback for me, because I had immediately predicted short recovery times. Going a certain path wasn’t to make him race at all costs, but it was for making him heal well quickly. The operation, done by inserting only four screws that fix the big pin in a particular way, was done to allow him to walk as soon as possible, despite the bone not being fully healed."
"After all, this pin, called Kuncher, was created to allow the soldiers to be sent to the front quickly. A new crash would be a problem. But the pin inserted is very big and the screws can break only for a manufacturing defect."
Rossi, who currently sits in seventh place with 61 points, 104 points behind his teammate Jorge Lorenzo who leads the championship, was not expected to return until the Czech Republic GP in August.
Rossi, who’s in his sixth season with Yamaha, won the season opener at Qatar, placed third in Round 2 in Jerez and second in Round 3 in Le Mans. VR 46 broke his leg during a nasty highside at practice for Round 4 in Mugello, missing that round, which was won by Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa. Rossi also missed the following three races at Silverstone, Assen and Catalunya – all three were won by his teammate Lorenzo.
If Rossi returns at Sachsenring, this gives him 11 rounds to redeem himself in the championship.
