Valentino Rossi announced today that he is fit enough to race at the German GP this weekend. Crashing only six weeks ago, Rossi has undergone a miraculous recuperation process, which saw the Italian rider utilizing a hyperbaric chamber to expedite his body’s recovery process. After a painful testing session at Misano, Rossi looked to be in far better physical shape a couple days ago at Brno.
Riding a WSBK spec Yamaha R1 at near Superpole pace (and faster than James Toseland), Rossi looked ready for Sachsenring this weekend, but postponed his scheduled annoucement on Monday to today. Seeing now that he has the fitness to race again, Rossi hopes to ride the Fiat-Yamaha M1 once again. Howver, Rossi will first have to get the green light from the MotoGP Chief Medical Officer before he can race, but that’s more of a formality than a material concern.
Rossi has missed four races over the course of his injury and currently sits seventh in the championship standings. While being out of contention for the 2010 MotoGP Championship is surely a sub-optimal situation for Rossi, the Italian has the advantage of no longer needing to ride conservatively with the Championship in mind. With a fresher supply of motors than the rest of the field, and the ability to let it hang out in every race with no consequences, Rossi is going to be a formidable opponent on the track, and will only get better as his body heals more.
“I’m really excited that my doctors think I can ride this weekend,” said Rossi. “Tomorrow I will see the medical officer and then we will have the final decision. I felt good on the R1 but I know my M1 at the track is a different thing and it will be hard for me, but I miss my bike and my team and I want to try. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and being back in the paddock; I was tired of being at home! Wataru will be there as well so if there is a problem he will ride my bike again.”
Source: Fiat-Yamaha
Comments