Rossi set a record in 2010, coming back within just over 40 days after a single break, after snapping his right tibia at Mugello. That however was a compound fracture (bone through the skin). This year’s break was both tibia and fibula, but less serious and more readily repaired without complication.
Rossi’s 2010 record was swiftly broken later that same year by tough Frenchman Randy de Puniet, who broke both tibia and fibula at the German GP, but returned at Brno just 26 days later.
Rossi had now taken four days off that record, starting practice 22 days after the fracture, and 21 days after the surgery, which was performed in the small hours of the next morning.
De Puniet crashed again in practice at Brno, qualified 11th, and finished tenth on the LCR Honda.
Rossi challenged for pole and qualified a delighted third, but admitted it had been painful, and said: “Now I have to understand if I can ride to the end of the race.
“I have to thank the doctors,” he added. But rather than improvements in medical science in the past seven years, “it depends very much on the type of fracture.”
Rossi revealed that it had only been last week that he thought he might be able to race at Aragon.
On Monday, “I did some laps on the R1 at Misano, and I understood that I can ride, but with a lot of pain.”
But with intensive physiotherapy, the injury improved day by day, and was continuing to do so; while the M1 MotoGP Yamaha was more comfortable “for my size” than the R1 road bike.
“At the beginning, we made the seat higher and the footpegs lower, but from today I used the normal position – for sure it is a better way to ride the bike,” he continued.
He had taken a single painkiller, he said, “because it is difficult to put on my boot”; and experienced some pain and awkwardness while riding. “On the bike, I feel some pain, but not too much, so I can concentrate on riding.” The most difficult thing was torsion on his leg, making it difficult to get his right foot in the correct position for right-hand corners.”
He had an amusing way of describing how this injury was much less troublesome than that in 2010. “Last time I could go to the toilet by myself after five days. This time, after one day.”
As for race distance: “On Friday morning I woke up with some pain. Today, with less pain. If it is the same [improvement] tomorrow it will be easier. I will try.”
by Michael Scott
