Davide Rigon to have surgery on Monday

Colini's Davide Rigon requires immediate surgery on Monday morning after sustaining multiple fractures to his tibia and fibula in the GP2 sprint race at Turkey.
Davide Rigon to have surgery on Monday

Colini driver Davide Rigon has suffered multiple fractures to his tibia and fibula in a crash five laps before the end of the GP2 European series sprint race at Istanbul Park, Turkey.

Rigon was sparring with Julian Leal and attempting to stop the Italian from passing down the start/finish straight when Leal made contact with the back of Rigon's car and tipped him into a spin. Rigon shot left and into hard contact with the pit wall barrier, before bouncing back across the track and finally coming to a stop on the grass verge on the other side.

Rigon initially seemed okay and stood up in the cockpit as if to step out and walk away, but then abruptly sat down again and indicated that he needed help. A medical crew was dispatched as the track went under safety car conditions, and from the amount of time the doctors took to extricate Rigon from the car it was clear that there was something more seriously wrong than usual.

It transpired that a part of the car's suspension had penetrated the driver safety cell and injured Rigon's foot and ankle, giving him multiple fractures to his tibia and fibula that required him to be immediately transported to hospital, where it was decided that he needs surgery Monday morning.

"We are quite shocked," said team principal Paolo Coloni. "He had the Ferrari doctor with him immediately, and the damage is quite serious.

"He is already booked in for surgery tomorrow morning, and we are all concentrating on that and hoping for good success. All of our thoughts are with Davide, and hopefully we will get some good news soon."

Rigon will stay in Istanbul for the operation. It's clearly far too early to say when or whether Rigon would be able to return to GP2 duty. Team principal Paolo Coloni said simply, "If it is as bad as we think, then it's bad news for his season."

Rigon's season deal with Coloni was only finalised and announced a week ago, at the end of April. His current team mate is Michael Herck.

Leal himself was uninjured, his own car's speed being scrubbed with a sideways skid along the straight and only light impact with the barrier.

However, Leal has been handed a ten grid position penalty for the next GP2 event, the Barcelona feature race which will take place in two weeks, after the race officials judged him to have caused an avoidable accident.

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