Maverick Vinales “will also miss Phillip Island and Sepang” - replacement plan
Maverick Vinales will join Marc Marquez in missing the next two MotoGP rounds.
Injured Tech3 KTM rider Maverick Vinales is set to miss the remaining flyaway MotoGP rounds at Phillip Island and Sepang.
The Spaniard withdrew from the Indonesian weekend just before qualifying, due to a lack of strength in the left shoulder he damaged before the summer break at Sachsenring.
"Together with the team, we decided to stop and focus fully on recovery as my shoulder still needs more time,” said Vinales, who was a podium contender before his injury, but has a best finish of 13th place since.
“We have tried to speed up the shoulder recovery, but the last two races have been super difficult for him,” said team manager Nicolas Goyon.
“The Mandalika layout and its high-speed changes of directions are making everything tougher, he is unable to go fast and it affects his confidence on the bike, so we think stopping here is the smartest choice for Maverick to fully focus on recovery."
In an interview with GPone.com, team owner Herve Poncharal confirmed that Vinales will also skip the next two rounds.
“Maverick said he was regressing instead of making progress. For this reason, we decided together on Saturday that he would not continue. He will also miss the ones in Phillip Island and Sepang,” Poncharal said.
The Frenchman confirmed that the plan is for test rider Pol Espargaro, who stood in for Vinales earlier in the season, to return, but KTM will make the final decision.
Poncharal emphasised that, although lacking strength and growing frustrated at the time needed to recover, Vinales’ attempts to ride on haven’t harmed his shoulder.
“His shoulder injury hasn’t been affected. A normal person would be out for six months with an injury like that,” Poncharal added.
“Sometimes riders think they are Superman, but ligament healing takes time. Add to that a small bone fracture, and it was a bad injury.”
Vinales joins Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez on the MotoGP injury list. Marquez will also miss the next two events, while Martin’s plans are unclear.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
