ELIAS TO MISS OUT AFTER ASSEN TUMBLE
The Spaniard fractures his left femur in practice
for Dutch TT
Assen continues to be a bogey track for Toni Elias, who was
injured this morning in a free practice crash at turn fifteen.
The Spaniard, who damaged his shoulder here last year and
missed the race, will again be absent from Saturday's starting
grid after breaking his left femur in an awkward slide into
the gravel trap. After visiting the Clinica Mobile, where
the fracture was diagnosed, Elias was transferred to the Wilhelmina
hospital in Assen for further checks and was operated on this
afternoon. Doctor Costa accompanied the Gresini Honda rider
throughout and says he will need three months to recover.
It was also a difficult day for Marco Melandri, who worked
hard on the geometry of his bike as he continues to try and
find a setting that can allow him to ride comfortably and
turn around his fortunes in a difficult season.
MARCO MELANDRI (16th, 1' 39"259): "We're
having a tough time because I can't find a good feeling with
the bike and can't ride it as I want. We've worked on the
geometry today and tried a few different solutions in an attempt
to improve my race pace but we've still got a lot of work
to do. I'm really upset about Toni's crash and hope that he
gets better and returns to join us soon."
TONI ELIAS (crashed): "I knew I'd broken
my leg straight away. I tried to put it back in position even
though the pain was tremendous. Hopefully I can recover quickly
and be back on track soon. I also want to thank all the Clinica
Mobile staff for their help and support."
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