Germany’s Stefan Bradl was quickest in Friday’s free practice for the German MotoGP as defending champion Jorge Lorenzo gave fresh cause for concern through injury.
Bradl clocked 1min 22.030sec 0.017sec ahead of Lorenzo (1:22.47) who had surgery on a fractured collarbone two weeks ago.
But Spaniard Lorenzo was the centre of a new scare after he left the track on the fourth lap of the second practice session and landed on the back of his stricken left shoulder.
He got up quickly but was seen holding his shoulder and an ice pack.
He then jumped in a car and headed for the track’s mobile medical clinic, looking in pain.
The 26-year-old finished fifth in the Dutch GP on June 26, just 36 hours after surgery to repair a shattered collar bone sustained during practice for the race.
Lorenzo — whom Italian legend and Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi described as a “hero” for taking part in Assen — said earlier on Friday that he had ridden the Dutch GP against medical advice.
“In the Netherlands, I had a lot of pain throughout the race. I admit that I was afraid. But I managed to get fifth place and only concede two points (to Pedrosa),” he told reporters.
“That was the most important thing.”
Doctors had initially prescribed four weeks’ rest for Lorenzo, given his injuries after the 200 km/h crash during practice at Assen.
But they did not count on the defending champion’s will to compete, just 36 hours after a two-hour operation in Barcelona to pin his shattered left collar bone with a titanium plate and eight screws.
“I’m the first rider in history to race 48 hours after breaking a collar bone,” said Lorenzo, who is having several hours of physiotherapy every day.
“I’m proud even if I know as well that it could have ended badly. I could have fallen and lost everything. I wasn’t thinking and a little bit foolish.”
Given the medical assessment, many observers have asked how race doctors gave Lorenzo the all-clear to race.
But two race doctors at Assen told AFP that the rider had successfully passed a series of tests that were more demanding than the movements he had to make during the grand prix itself.
