Jorge Lorenzo Breaks Collarbone in High-Speed Crash

The 2013 MotoGP Championship has taken a dramatic turn after defending champion Jorge Lorenzo broke his collarbone in a high-speed crash during practice for this weekend’s TT Assen in the Netherlands.

The Yamaha factory rider was the overall leader after a dry morning practice session. The afternoon was rainy however, creating slippery conditions. Running through the high-speed Hoge Heide section of the circuit, Lorenzo hit a wet patch and was sent flying, eventually landing on his left shoulder.

Lorenzo was taken to the medical center where staff confirmed he had broken his collarbone. Lorenzo will remain under observation for 12 hours and will receive a CT scan to determine whether there are any further injuries before flying home to Barcelona, Spain, for surgery.

“Jorge has suffered an accident at over 200 kilometers an hour (124 mph) and the obvious injury at this point is a broken left clavicle,” Dr. Xavier Mir tells MotoGP.com. “However, as this was a significant accident, we have to take into account that there could also be head, thoracic or abdominal injuries. For now, we have taken him to hospital in Assen where CT scans will be carried out in those three areas to rule out any further injuries. It would also be a prudent move to observe him over 12 hours to make sure he can be treated by the appropriate parties when he arrives in Barcelona tomorrow.”

Lorenzo arrived in the Netherlands in second place in the championship after winning the previous two races. He remains seven points shy of Honda‘s Dani Pedrosa, though the injury likely puts an end to Lorenzo’s title defence.

[Source: MotoGP.com]

By Dennis Chung