Having been ruled out of his home Catalan Grand Prix by head and hand injuries sustained in a Friday practice fall, race-winning
MotoGP rookie
Jorge Lorenzo says he will be something of a changed man when he returns to action in this weekend's British Grand Prix.
Lorenzo, who took three poles and three podiums from his first three MotoGP rides, sustained fractured ankles during practice for round four at Shanghai, but was able to ride on - despite further falls at Le Mans and Mugello - until concussion at Catalunya finally ruled him out.
Thankfully, the Fiat Yamaha rider is fit to return for a crucial run of three races in four weekends - in England, Holland and Germany, followed immediately by his first ever race in the USA.
The 21-year-old has benefited from a week of complete rest since his latest accident, although he will ride at
Donington Park through the discomfort of a fresh skin graft to the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand. He will wear a special silk glove underneath a larger racing glove this weekend and will require treatment after each practice session.
"It has been a tough couple of weeks for me and watching the Barcelona race from my hospital bed wasn't much fun so I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike, although I think I have to ride a little more cautiously this weekend!" admitted the Estoril race winner. "It is like starting again from scratch so I have to change my approach.
"What I can say about Donington is that I have got great memories from there - I took 250cc victory in 2006 and last year I was riding really well in the wet. It is a fast circuit, other than the final section, and it will be interesting to ride there on a MotoGP bike for the first time."
Despite missing the Catalan Grand Prix, Lorenzo continues to hold third place in the world championship standings, although he has now slipped 48 points behind team-mate and title leader
Valentino Rossi.
Nevertheless, this weekend the Mallorcan and his crew will be focusing on recovery and regaining confidence, rather than results.
"This weekend we will concentrate on Jorge's recovery and not his results," insisted team manager Daniele Romagnoli. "For us the British Grand Prix is about Jorge getting back on the bike and getting a good feeling for it again. We want to make set-up work as easy as possible for him, not make too many changes and just let him get back into the swing of riding.
