Cycle News Staff | July 12, 2010
Valentino Rossi completed a second day of testing today, the MotoGP World Champion riding a World Superbike-spec R1 at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic as he tries to better understand his physical condition after breaking his right leg at Mugello five weeks ago. Rossi will now wait for futher medical checks on Wednesday to decide if he will attempt to race in the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring on July 18.Rossi completed 46 laps with a best time of 1:59.135 at Brno (Cal Crutchlow qualified on pole for yesterday’s World Superbike races with a 1:58.018). Wataru Yoshikawa, who stood in for Rossi at the last round in Catalunya, is travelling to Germany and has been entered as a substitute rider again in case Rossi can’t make it.If Rossi decides to ride in Germany, he will need final approval from the FIM Chief Medical Officer before he can participate in a Grand Prix, according to Yamaha.”Today was good,” Rossi said in a team release. “I felt better than in Misano, but I still feel quite tired after a few laps and a race will be a much bigger question. We haven’t made the final decision yet. I need to have some more X-rays on Wednesday and then my doctors and I will consider whether I can ride at Sachsenring. Once I’d understood my physical condition today, I had great fun riding the R1 and even did some work on the settings. I want to say a big thank you to the WSB team for staying on here another day and making this test possible for me.”
