Motorcycling: Dovizioso should be fit for season opener despite surgery – Reuters

FILE PHOTO: MotoGP – Malaysian Grand Prix – Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Malaysia – November 3, 2019 Mission Winnow Ducati Corse’s Andrea Dovizioso celebrates third place after the race REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/File Photo

(Reuters) – Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso is expected to be fit in time for the start of the 2020 MotoGP season next month despite needing surgery for a left collarbone injury, his team said on Monday.

The 34-year-old sustained the injury on Sunday following a crash while competing in a motocross race at Faenza in northern Italy. Ducati announced later in a tweet here that Dovizioso was due to have the operation in Modena.

MotoGP said this month that it will resume the 2020 season stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic with back-to-back races at the Jerez circuit in Spain on July 19 and 26.

Five circuits will host double-headers and Spain will have seven races as part of the revised 13-round European calendar.

Italian Dovizioso finished runner-up behind Spaniard Marc Marquez of Honda in the 2019 season.

Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris

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