Rossi recovery time 30-40 days, says doctor

The doctor who operated on Valentino Rossi says the MotoGP rider will need at least 30–40 days rest following surgery on a right leg fracture.

The nine–times world champion suffered a displaced fracture to the tibia and fibula of his right leg on Thursday night in a dirt bike training accident, and underwent surgery this morning.

The operation, which saw a pin inserted into his injured leg, was declared a success , with Rossi saying he ‘felt already good’ when he awoke.

Speaking during a press conference in Italy, Dr Raffaele Pascarella said Rossi will need 30–40 days to recover before further evaluation is carried out, meaning he will miss the upcoming Misano and Aragon races.

“First I want to say that Valentino is fine and this is the most important thing for us all,” Dr Pascarella said.

“I think he will certainly have to rest for 30–40 days, and then we will evaluate together in the next few weeks how to proceed.”

Rossi suffered a broken right leg in 2010 in a crash during practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, and while the recent fracture occurred close to the original injury, Dr Pascarella said it was ‘not a bad thing to have done it on the same leg.’

The Yamaha rider sits fourth in the standings and 26 points down on championship leader Andrea Dovizioso having finished third at Silverstone last weekend.

Currently, there is no news on who will replace the Italian for his home race at Misano and the Aragon round a fortnight later.