Lorenzo breaks collarbone in massive crash on Assen circuit

Spanish MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo broke his collarbone on Thursday, after an almighty crash during a practice session on a wet track at Assen in the Netherlands.

The reigning world champion was sent flying over the handlebars of his Yamaha after hitting standing water on the circuit, during a free practice session ahead of this Saturday’s race.

After being examined by doctors, he was diagnosed with a broken left collarbone, and informed that he would have to sit out the race. MotoGP surgeon Dr Xavier Mir said on Thursday that the Spanish rider would need more neurological scans before other injuries could be ruled out.

“Jorge has a high inertia trauma but results are normal from initial neurological examination,” the doctor said. “We will move to Assen to make head and chest scans and also an abdominal exploration. […] These kind of impacts at more than 200 km/h need some time for the body to recover to be able to discount any other major injuries.”

The next race on the MotoGP calendar after Assen is in two weeks’ time, at the Saschenring in Germany. Lorenzo is currently in second place on the championship table, seven points behind his fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa.

Click on the link below to see a video of the crash on an external website.