Alex Rins’ brutal comeback: “If I have pain, it won’t make sense to continue”

The LCR Honda rider make a last-gasp dash to Motegi in time to compete this weekend for the first time since he suffered a broken leg at Mugello in June.

Rins has missed seven rounds of the MotoGP season as he recovered but, although he will resume competing in Friday practice, he knows his comeback could be short-lived.

“[Friday] is a test day for us,” he said. “It’s been a long time without riding a MotoGP bike. 

“Let’s see how the morning session goes then we will decide if we continue or not. 

“If I have huge pain? It’s a long flight to arrive here but if it’s painful then it won’t make sense to continue riding.

“To be back racing is super good news for me. It takes time, it was the worst injury of my career. 

“I worked so hard in these months, going to the gym and the physio. [Friday] is a big day for us.”

Rins has had a bizarre season - linking up with Honda after Suzuki exited MotoGP, he became the first Honda rider aside from Marc Marquez to win a premier class race since 2018 when he was victorious in Texas.

But he also complained that Honda were not utilising him enough to develop parts, then broke his leg, and during his absence he confirmed that he will quit Honda to join Yamaha in 2024.

Honda have also been in turmoil with the saga of Marquez’s future while Rins has been absent.

But, finally, he will be back this weekend after making a last-minute decision to race.

“It was chaos,” he said. “After a medical check in Madrid we tried to organise everything to arrive as soon as possible.

“I’m happy with the progress. The x-ray compared to one month ago, the difference is huge. 

“I’m still not 100% recovered but it’s going step by step. The step now is to try the MotoGP bike. 

“It’s been one month without trying any bike. Let’s see what the reception is with the bike.”