HOPKINS HEADS HOME FOR FURTHER MEDICAL CHECKS
Following his crash during qualifying for the Dutch TT at
Assen yesterday, Kawasaki's John Hopkins this morning boarded
a flight for Los Angeles, where he will undergo a further
medical examination by Dr. Art Ting.
Hopkins crashed at 230km/h towards the end of the hour-long
timed session after losing the front of his Ninja ZX-RR at
Ramshoek corner, the ultra-fast left-hander just before the
final chicane.
The Kawasaki pilot slid across the track and through the
gravel trap before colliding feet first with the tyre wall
on the outside of the corner. Unable to walk, Hopkins was
transported to the medical centre by ambulance, where he underwent
an initial examination by circuit medical staff.
X-rays of his injured left leg revealed that Hopkins had
sustained a fracture to the bottom of his tibia and that he
had also reopened a previous fracture, the result of a crash
earlier in his racing career. The x-rays also showed a fracture
to the lateral malleolus, which is one of the bones at the
top of the ankle.
The medical staff also took x-rays of Hopkins' left knee
to check for possible compression injuries after the rider
complained of stiffness and pain in the joint, but these x-rays
were inconclusive.
Hopkins will undergo a bone scan in Los Angeles that should
reveal if there is any additional damage to the lateral malleolus
and the knee joint, both of which are difficult to x-ray effectively
due to their proximity to other large bones in the leg and
ankle.
Only after the full extent of his injuries are known will
a decision be made as to whether Hopkins will race at the
German Grand Prix at Sachsenring.
The initial opinion of Dr Claudio Costa of the Clinica Mobile
was that, had Hopkins fractured the bones in his right leg
and ankle instead of his left, then there was a good chance
he could have been fit enough to ride in Germany.
Unfortunately it is the left foot that must be used to change
gear up to 30 times on each lap, and for this reason there
is only a slim chance that Hopkins will be fit to contest
the tenth round of the MotoGP world championship in Germany,
which takes place in just two weeks time.
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