Jorge Lorenzo decision to race at Assen just 36 hours after collarbone surgery, was one of the topics that came up during today’s pre-event press conference at Sachsenring.
The Yamaha rider naturally talked about his ongoing recovery and how he is feeling: “I was really surprised to have the possibility to race at Assen, but I am also surprised at the very quick recovery that I am having. Every day I feel a big improvement, also because I have the physio working with me every day - morning and afternoon – so it is lots of hours of working together. I don’t feel perfect, but I feel much better than I did at Assen and that is very good. It was painful and scary… but it was enough to finish in fifth position and it was only two points (lost) – that was the most important thing,” said Lorenzo.
Lorenzo’s decision and the fact that the medical commission allowed him to race so soon after undergoing surgery has seemingly set a precedent for riders to emulate him, but the Spaniard warned other riders not to follow his Assen example:
Don’t do it! Don’t do what I did, please. I think riders in the future that have similar injuries to me must, or should not, take my Assen race as an example. Some friends told me that an Italian rider broke his right arm and wanted to race the next week or ten days later. It is not good. Not logical. You have to take how your body feels. If you feel good to race and mentally strong, you can race. But Assen should not be an example for anyone.”!
Cal Crutchlow also had his say on the fact that Lorenzo raised the bar. However, the Yamaha Tech3 rider during the 2012 Silverstone GP tried to pass off a badly fractured ankle for a sprain, but he was found out. He pleaded with the circuit doctors to let him race, who them made him undergo a vigourous physical test (making him run from one side of the medical center to the other four times, and then do 20 foot-raises on both feet, then ten on the left and then ten on the heel) which he passed and was allowed to compete.
I think Lorenzo has now set a bar because if someone is injured we can now go to the medical office and say ‘ah, well Jorge rode with a broken collarbone’,” saidCrutchlow. “So there is a grey area, because now they let him race, what’s next? Maybe it was just that circuit… I think riders in any championship now will use this example and say, ‘he raced with a broken bone, he had an operation, why can’t I?’ That is the grey area. One circuit might let you race and one might not.”
At Assen, Valentino Rossi said he would have probably skipped the race if he had surgery just hours before, but in the press conference the Italian said, “There has been some controversy in the past, some say that the doctors have given the go ahead just because it was me or Jorge, but things are different for everyone. For example, last year Edwards was unable to race, [Catalunya] because only 24 hours had passed from his anesthesia. Every doctor has his own protocol, but the fitness tests that you have to do are tough. In 2010, here at Sachsenring, after my leg injury, they had me bending my leg and measuring my strength. The same was done with Lorenzo. Each case is different, but if you do not pass those tests you can’t race. “
