A nasty Saturday crash well and truly put a spanner in the works of Jorge Lorenzo’s preparations for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, a race that he would start from pole position after clocking a speedy qualifying lap just before the fall. A superhuman effort from both Lorenzo and his doctors powered the Spaniard to third place in the latest round of the MotoGP World Championship, and kept up the pressure on Fiat Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi in the standings.“When I crashed yesterday, I thought that it was all over for the weekend,” admitted Lorenzo after stepping onto the podium, unable to even spray the celebratory cava due to a dislocated collarbone. He passed a late fitness test that also included a check on his leg, hit hard in the fall.
“Thanks to the work done by the doctors I was able to race, and we did well today. Finishing the race was a happy ending for us,” he continued, before looking back on a passing attempt that could have placed him ahead of Rossi before the chequered flag.
“I could have taken second place, but made a mistake when overtaking Valentino on the last corner. However, third place isn’t something to be sad about here, it’s something to be happy about.”
Lorenzo is sadly all-too-familiar with the feeling of riding injured, and is thankful that he should be able to improve his condition to make the next race at Sachsenring a more comfortable affair. Further analysis will be undertaken back in Spain, but the early comeback plan seems positive for the title contender.
“I’ve been told by the doctors that the tendon injury in the collarbone will take five to six weeks to heal, if everything passes without problems. We are going to try our best to be back in much better shape for Sachsenring.”