Crash may have Lorenzo out for Sunday's motorcycle race
The Staff of Clutch and Chrome
May 2nd 2008
The world of
motorcycle racing may have the first shocker of the racing
season with
MotoGP world
championship leader Jorge Lorenzo possibly out for the
upcoming China Grand Prix after fracturing an ankle bone in
a crash in practice on Friday morning.
 Lorenzo
lost control of his 800cc machine in a chicane and was
thrown off before sliding to a stop. He took the
impact of the fall on his forearms but suffered no injuries
to his upper body.
The Yamaha
team doctor said there is a chance Lorenzo could race on
Sunday, but it would be 'a
race full of suffering, pain and tears.'
The
Yamaha rider sat out the second practice session on Friday
but may return for qualifying on Saturday, when doctors will
reassess his injuries.
Plagued with
injuries,
the practice session in Shanghai was
Lorenzo's first since he had surgery on his right arm to
relieve compartmental syndrome following his win in Portugal
on 13 April.
Lorenzo is joint top of the championship table with fellow
countryman and Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, with 61
points after three races, ahead of Valentino Rossi in third
and Casey Stoner in fourth place. |
