Alex Rins heads for surgery after bicycle accident, out of Catalunya MotoGP
UPDATE: Alex Rins also had a cranial impact during the crash so he was checked with a CT Scan upon his arrival in hospital - the test revealed nothing of concern.
Doctor Xavier Mir, Director of the Hand Surgery and Microsurgery Unit in the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery at the Universitari Dexeus Hospital reported: “Alex Rins has suffered an articular fracture of the right distal radius with a small displacement and high inflammation. We have two options; one is to immobilise the fracture with plaster, but the recovery would take around 4-6 weeks. Or, as an alternative, we propose an operation, which we consider is the best option. Tomorrow morning we will intervene and affix two screws to the injured bone”.
"Alex Rins: "It's a shame what happened today. I really wanted to race here in Montmeló and to have a solid performance to get back on track after some tough races. Tomorrow I will undergo surgery and then we'll talk about timings for the recovery. In any case we will work really hard to get the feeling back as soon as possible and try to return quickly. I don't know yet if I'll be ready for the German GP but I will work hard to be fit by then. Thank you for the messages of support.”
Shinichi Sahara, Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director: "I was surprised and really disappointed to hear this news. Alex himself has been training very hard, and we as a team have been working and investigating how best to overcome the recent situation which has seen Alex have several crashes in the last races. This injury is very bad timing because we were feeling ready to fight again in good shape here in Catalunya. We hope Joan Mir can have a great result this weekend, but of course we will miss Alex - we all wish him a good surgery, quick recovery, and to come back even stronger as soon as possible.”
It has been decided that Alex Rins will not be replaced for this GP. However, Sylvain Guintoli will be riding as planned during the test on Monday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Having fallen in the last four MotoGP races, Alex Rins' misfortune continues in the form of a cycling accident that has ruled the Suzuki star out of this weekend's home Catalunya Grand Prix.
A team statement explained that Rins suffered 'an unfortunate accident while training this morning with his bicycle on track' in Barcelona, resulting in a fractured wrist for which he will need surgery.
'The Spaniard fell during a training lap and as a result he suffered damage to his right arm, with a large contused area and a lot of pain,' continued the Suzuki statement.
'He was quickly taken to Barcelona’s Universitari Dexeus Hospital for further examination and medical checks revealed a fracture in the radius bone.
'The fracture was immobilised and tomorrow morning he will undergo surgery to fix it.'
Suzuki says it has not yet decided if Rins will now be replaced, almost certainly by test rider Sylvain Guintoli, this weekend. Guintoli is due to be present in Barcelona anyway to work for BT Sport, but it is not yet clear if he has brought racing gear with him.
Rins, who finished sixth and fourth in the Qatar season-openers, is currently 13th in the world championship and 82 points from Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo.
Team-mate and reigning world champion Joan Mir is fifth in the standings after taking his second podium of the season last Sunday at Mugello, where Rins fell while trying to join the late rostrum fight.
