Injured drivers Cal Crutchlow, Marc Marquez and Alex Rins all passed the fitness tests on Thursday at the Jerez Circuit and were medically approved to compete in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia, also known as Jerez II, over the weekend.
Cal Crutchlow (35). Photo courtesy LCR Honda Castrol.
LCR Honda Castrol’s Crutchlow broke the scaphoid bone in his left hand / wrist in an accident while warming up on July 19 in Jerez I and had surgery to repair the fracture on July 21.
Repsol Honda’s Marquez broke his right humerus bone in a highside crash during the MotoGP race on July 19 in Jerez I and underwent an operation to plate the broken bone on July 21.
Injured Alex Rins in Jerez. Photo courtesy of Team Suzuki’s press office.
The Rins of Team Suzuki ECSTAR crashed in qualifying on July 18th in Jerez I and suffered a dislocation fracture on his right shoulder. The Spaniard has been sedated to reposition the shoulder and has been on treatment since last weekend.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the 2020 MotoGP World Championship being shortened to a schedule of 13 races spanning just 18 weeks instead of a schedule of 19 races spanning nine months as quickly as possible.
More from a press release from Dorna:
Marc Marquez was ready to drive in Jerez
The reigning champion has received permission to take part in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia
Two days after an operation on a broken humerus, reigning MotoGP ™ world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was declared fit to ride after a medical examination in Jerez.
Marquez broke his upper arm in a fall at the Spanish GP and returned to Barcelona on Monday. He was then met on Tuesday by MotoGP ™ traumatologist Dr. Xavier Mir is operating and returned to the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on Thursday morning.
The number 93 was handed over ready to drive alongside competitors Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who were also injured on the Spanish GP race weekend. Crutchlow suffered a scaphoid fracture and Rins suffered a shoulder injury and a small fracture. All three have received permission to take part in the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia.
Dr. Angel Charte, MotoGP ™ Medical Director: “As you all know, Marc Marquez had an accident in which he sustained an injury that was a diaphyseal fracture of the humerus. He underwent a surgical procedure in which they were plated and 48 hours later, as stated in the medical regulations, he has the right to request a medical examination in order to compete in the next race. Today he came to the medical examination unit where they tried all the movements that involve this type of injury and it turned out that he can do them perfectly. There was no sign of pain or mechanical incapacity in his right arm and so the full medical exam, although strange to us, was positive. It shows that the driver is perfectly ready to drive. To what percentage cannot be said, but it meets the strict medical protocol for this type of injury.
“Crutchlow had another accident and broke his left scaphoid. A nail was inserted into the broken fragment and it underwent a medical examination that we do for this type of injury, as each injury has its own examination protocol. He’s okay and can drive perfectly. Exactly the same in the case of Alex Rins. He had a scapolumeral subluxation of the left shoulder with a small fracture in part of the humeral head. He had a magnetic resonance scan this morning and the edema attributed to the bruise has allegedly subsided. So we did the exam that needs to be done and the driver is fit. “
Marquez is expected to be back on track on Saturday.