MotoGP News
Two weeks after fracturing his left femur during a crash at Free Practice for the opening round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship in Qatar, Alvaro Bautista got some seat time on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R.
Well, stationary seat time, anyway. Bautista mounted the Suzuki prototype at last weekend’s round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship at the Spaniard’s home race in Jerez.
The recovering Bautista was at Jerez supporting the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team, which was using the American John “Hopper” Hopkins as a substitute rider. Hopkins finished the Spanish Grand Prix in 10th position aboard the Suzuki GSV-R.
After two operations – one to insert pins in his femur, another to relieve pressure on his leg muscles – Bautista continues to recover in Madrid. He is under a rehabilitation program that includes “the use of a hyperbaric chamber to increase the oxygen flow in his body to aid the healing of his injury.”
There is no word of when Bautista will return to the MotoGP grid, but Rizla Suzuki reports “he is working as hard as possible to be back on the grid at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Alvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) says: “It was strange for me at Jerez last weekend, because I was at the race, but not in the race! Once I saw the bikes on Saturday sitting in the garage, I just had to try and sit on one of them.
“I tried very slowly to get on the seat, which was a bit difficult, but once I was on there the feeling was not too bad. The most difficult thing was getting on and off, but it was good for me to try because now I know which parts of my leg I have to work on to improve my flexibility and strength to be able to ride – it was a good test for me to find this out!
“The healing is coming along very well, my doctor says it is very quick, but for me it already seems too slow. The movement is almost normal and the inflammation is coming down, so I think the over the next week I will be a lot better than I am now and will be able to start training so that I can get racing again very soon.”
