Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/144092
P22 WIND PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE IN THE DOWN AND OUT? A spate of crashes at the short and tight Sachsenring played havoc with the MotoGP World Championship, with both leading contenders falling victim. The worst off was Jorge Lorenzo, fresh from his triumphant post-operative return to Assen two weeks ago, and with his freshly plated left collarbone recovering nicely, he said on race eve. The next day it went horribly wrong early in the afternoon session. The Yamaha rider had topped the times in the morning, and was on top again early in the afternoon session when he had a huge highside crash at turn 10, the last of the string of left-handers before the "Waterfall" corner. According to his team head Wilco Zeelenberg, the rear slid as he sought the limit, then gripped as he backed off on the throttle. The rider was flicked up and over, landing hard, directly on his recovering shoulder. The impact did not loosen the screws, but first examination revealed that it had bent the bone and the new titanium plate, and that fresh surgery was required. Lorenzo eschewed further heroics, and flew home to Barcelona in the evening for another operation on Saturday. A new plate was inserted, with 10 screws compared with the previous eight. He is in danger of missing not the German Grand Prix, but also the Red Bull U.S. GP this coming weekend - dealing a major blow to his battle to regain the lead in the championship. "I have decided to go home and recover," he said, in a team statement. "I prefer to focus on Just two weeks after suffering a broken collarbone in Assen, Jorge Lorenzo again injured his shoulder in Germany. Will he make it to Laguna Seca this week? surgery to fix the plate, that was unfortunately bent during the crash. I will try to recover and be back as soon as possible." At first he said he would not go to Laguna, but Zeelenberg said: "We are waiting to see if there is a change because we need to pack our bags to go there." Lorenzo is currently 11 points behind new championship leader Marc Marquez and nine points behind Dani Pedrosa. Michael Scott AND PEDROSA MAKES TWO T he second significant crash in MotoGP racing during the German Grand Prix could be at least as crucial for the championship. The victim was points leader Dani Pedrosa, on his first flying lap on Saturday morning. Going into the first corner and "not even pushing," the bike suddenly slewed sideways and pitched him skyward. Like his rival Jorge Lorenzo, Pedrosa landed upside down on his head and shoulders, and clutched at his left shoulder in pain as he sat in the gravel. Soon afterwards as he was at the medical center, his blood pressure dropped dramatically, and he was helicoptered to the hospital for scans. No head injuries or concussion were found, but X-rays revealed a partial fracture to his left collarbone.