Valentino Rossi underwent surgery overnight
Last night Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi had a successful operation on the displaced fractures of the tibia and fibula of his right leg.
The MotoGP-star had been hospitalised after an enduro accident yesterday evening.
Following a medical examination at the ‘Ospedale Civile di Urbino’, where he was initially diagnosed, the Italian was transported to the ‘Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti’ in Ancona.
Upon arrival, he received surgery between 2am – 3am by Dr. Raffaele Pascarella, Director of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Division. During the surgery the fractures were fixated using a metal pin – a locked intramedullary nail – without any complications.
Valentino Rossi
“The surgery went well. This morning, when I woke up, I felt already good. I would like to thank the staff of the Ospedali Riuniti in Ancona, and in particular Doctor Pascarella who operated on me. I’m very sorry for the incident. Now I want to be back on my bike as soon as possible. I will do my best to make it happen!”
Rossi and Yamaha have thanked the entire staff of the ‘Ospedale Civile di Urbino’ and ‘Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona’ for their dedication and professional care.
The injury almost certainly means that Rossi will miss the next round at Misano, and also effectively ends his tilt at taking the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.
The nine-time Champion may even consider ending his season rather than rush back from injury. And instead concentrate on looking after the injury and ensuring his preparations for season 2018 are in their best possible shape.
The minimum period for weight bearing on such an injury is likely to be 2-3 weeks. Rossi could, perhaps, come back and score reasonable points in the latter rounds of the season.
However, due to the closeness and intensity of the competition this season, it is unlikely Rossi will be able to challenge for podiums for the next 4-6 weeks at least. By that time MotoGP will only have a couple of rounds remaining.
Thus the question must be asked, why bother coming back this season at all…?
And if that is indeed the decision taken, who would be promoted into the Movistar Yamaha squad in the interim to replace him? The smart money would be on Johann Zarco, with his Tech3 seat then up for grabs…
