Joan Lascorz speaks of accident for first time

For the first time since the horrifying accident in May that left him paralysed, Joan Lascorz has spoken about his terrible injuries, the circumstances of his accident and his positivity of going forward and finding new challenges.

The Spaniard fell at high-speed during testing at Imola after losing control of his bike on the crest leading into Piratella, the subsequent contact with a concrete barrier causing a lesion in the C6 vertebra that has left him without feeling in the legs, fingers and abdominal area.

The severity of the injuries and the long-term repercussions of his rehabilitation means Lascorz, who has been residing at the specialist Guttmann Institute in Barcelona for several months, has not broken his silence about the accident since it occurred.

However, with Lascorz due to leave the Guttmann Institute in the coming weeks, he has for the first time opened up about the accident, his gratitude to the world of motorcycle racing for its sport and his hopes going forward...

"What happened to me was a disgrace. I do not know if it is due to an unfortunate incident, or the fact that the standards of Imola are not suitable for running on a motorcycle with 240 horsepower. In any case it is certainly a turning point in my racing career and my life. It's a very difficult situation, I have to grit my teeth to keep going.

"I wish to thank all the people who have been close in recent months: all riders in Superbike, MotoGP and all categories, as well as Albert Llovera, Filippo Preziosi, Oscar Lanza, Isidre Esteve, Pau Bach who came to visit me in this period. I am grateful to the doctors Superbike, Ospedale Maggiore in Bologna, Vall d'Hebron Institute and Guttmann: I was treated like a King! Thanks also to the Catalan and Spanish Motorcycle Federation for their support, but also an infinite thanks to my family, my father Juan who spent some terrifying, almost worse than me, as my mother Maribel, my brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and the guys.

"Once I leave the Guttmann Institute, I will begin a new life for me. I'll have to rethink everything, look for financial resources to move forward because the situation is not easy. I'll have to set new goals to continue to enjoy life, although not with the same intensity as ever.

"Sometimes I feel a deep sense of sadness for what happened to me: because of a wall, everything changed. Sometimes, however, I try to think to the future with confidence and optimism: it was not easy for me to reach certain goals, I started competing 18 years [ago] with a 50cc and I got to run as a professional. It's an injustice, really very sad, but now we have to find a solution. This injury will not only keep me forever away from the races, but deeply marked my life.

"In this difficult time I have been around so many people. I was surprised to see riders like Rossi, Dovizioso, Crutchlow, Hayden, Pedrosa, Yonny Hernandez, Lorenzo, many if not all the MotoGP riders interested in me, as well as Marquez, Espargaro, Rabat, Rins... I'll never forget that were made some 10,000 stickers in my support, brought a little bit from all of the Superbike riders as Checa, Haslam, Smrz, Sykes, Baz, Biaggi, Rea, Melandri, Salom...

"Some teams, like BMW, have placed even in front fairing the bike. I also thank Sofuoglu, Morais, all Kawasaki Superstock 1000 and 600, as well as Katsuaki Fujiwara and Akira Yanagawa who ride with Kawasaki in Japan, Honda Italy, Easyrace, many drivers of the CEV, the MotorLand Aragon, the magazine Solo Moto, the 'initiative Motocard.com. All the media are interested in me even though I have not spoken in months: I really thank everyone, I am very proud of my career and to have met wonderful people."