Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro has been given the green-light to race in this weekend’s Mugello MotoGP™ race in Italy after undergoing a positive ultrasound examination today in Barcelona to evaluate the recovery process of his injured right hand.
Further evaluations will be done day-by-day in terms of pain and riding capabilities. The Spaniard underwent surgery to reconstruct his right thumb ligament that was broken in the crash he had in Le Mans during FP3.
The GP of Italy will be the sixth round of the 2015 MotoGP™ season, and Team Suzuki Ecstar is excited to debut the two Factory GSX-RRs at the fascinating circuit of Mugello. Mugello’s blend of slow and fast turns with sweeping curves, long straights and off-camber corners make it one of the most challenging circuits for the riders and engineers. Owned by Ferrari since 1988, the 5.245km track has been renovated to a high standard and has a growing reputation as one of the world’s most up-to-date, scenic and safest race circuits.
Aleix Espargaro
“I’m happy because doctors said the recovery process is positive and I definitely want to try to race. The crash in Le Mans was one of the worst in my career; I suffered a lot of pain and also my right thumb ligament got broken. Dr. Mir and his colleagues did a great job with the surgery, everything went well and my recovery has been good. I don’t feel 100%, but I definitely want to get back riding and join my team for the race in Italy. This race will be tough, Mugello’s straight is so long and we will probably suffer a little on top-speed, but at the same time the track in its whole is very fast and on this matter our chassis can make a real positive difference. I like fast tracks; this will help me get over this injury and make for a positive weekend.”
Maverick Viñales
“My feeling is that Mugello will be a difficult track because it has such a long straight, and this could be a bad thing for our Suzuki, but at the same time there are some very fast corners where we can exploit the very good chassis that we have. Making a balance of pros and cons I think that we can make a good performance, maybe better that Le Mans. The important point for us will be to exploit the free practice and qualifying at their best. Being able to start from a better position will allow me to make my own pace and have riders that push me from behind instead of having to fight and pass them like I did in recent races. I still need to work to improve my tyre management and time my runs better during practices. I believe improvements in these areas will lead me to a better qualifying position.”
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