Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso broke his collarbone on Sunday during a motocross competition. The rider had surgery Sunday night to stabilize a clavicle fracture.
Dovizioso participated exceptionally and with the permission of Ducati in a regional motocross competition in Emilia Romagna. He crash and landed hard on his left shoulder, and was taken to Forli’s hospital after the incident, an eyewitness said.
“Under normal circumstances, surgery wouldn’t be necessary, but we decided to do it anyway to make sure it’s 100 percent when we get to Jerez,” Ducati said in a short statement.
Dovizioso was given permission to participate in an MX race to build form towards the restart of the MotoGP season, which starts on July 19 with the Spanish Grand Prix.
MotoGP riders will be back in action for a one-day test on the Jerez circuit on Wednesday, July 15. Missing a race could also have major consequences for the title campaign. At the moment there are only thirteen races on the program.
“It is a fracture that may not even need to be worked on usually, but we are fixing it this moment and it means being able to go back to training in a few days and be absolutely ready for the first race. It was a bit painful, but overall serene.” Dovizioso’s manager Simone Battistella told Sky.
Ducati confirmed contract talks with Dovizioso are currently in a stalemate, financial side the main stumbling block.
“For me it is 99 percent sure that we will renew the contract. We first wanted to work out the details for this year and then it was a good time to look forward to 2021. After the conversations, I understood from Ducati that they would like to reach an agreement, but there is still nothing on paper.” Battistella said.
