Miguel Oliveira will be replaced by Lorenzo Savadori for French MotoGP round, as Pol Espargaro shares updates of his recovery.
Miguel Oliveira:
CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team’s Miguel Oliveira has unfortunately been forced to withdraw from the upcoming French Grand Prix due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Spanish Grand Prix. While immediate medical attention successfully repositioned his dislocated left shoulder, further assessments revealed a more severe injury, including a fracture in the humerus and an anterior labrum ligament injury.
Although Oliveira and his doctors have decided against surgery, he will need to focus on the healing process and will not be able to participate in the French round. The team wishes him a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming him back for the Italian GP.
In Oliveira’s absence, he will be replaced by Lorenzo Savadori. As the official Aprilia Test Rider, Savadori has already had the opportunity to get accustomed to the team and conditions during the Official MotoGP Test at the Circuito de Jerez–Angel Nieto on Monday. The entire CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team remains focused and committed to achieving success on the track, even with this setback.
Pol Espargaro:
It’s a message that will be music to the ears of millions of MotoGP fans around the world. Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) has taken to social media to give everyone an update on where he is in his recovery after his huge Portuguese Grand Prix crash. Espargaro has been sidelined since the Friday afternoon crash in Portimao.
A broken jaw has meant the #44 rider has been unable to speak or eat properly for over a month, while several other fractures are now also thankfully on the mend. “Hi everyone! Finally I’m back on social media. It’s been a month and week after the crash and I can talk a little bit, I’m saying that because I broke my jaw in two places, I’ve been with my jaw completely closed for four weeks after the crash, I couldn’t eat, I lost a lot of weight, but finally I can smile and I can talk quite good so that’s why I making this message,” began the Spaniard.
“Also I had an injury in my ear that had surgery after the crash, I had eight fractures in my body, two in my ribs, one in my neck, three in my back which I think are taking a little bit longer because the fractures in my back are the ones the doctors are still checking a little bit deeply. One is better but I’ve lost half of the size.
“So you know what happens when you play with these kind of injuries, in the vertebrae you need to be really careful because it’s super easy to injure your spinal cord, so we are working with the doctors hand by hand to come back as soon as possible, but first of all I need to come back healthy, but I’m the first one that wants to jump on the bike. Especially after the results in Jerez, the factory is working huge and the bike is a rocket right now so I’m looking forward to it.
“I just wanted to say thank you for all the messages you have sent me through that time, it has been so important to keep me motivated, and to keep me happy to come back as soon as possible and jump on my bike. Thanks to my team and all the people who are with me when I am racing because they have sent me messages almost every day and this is amazing from the GASGAS and the KTM guys.
“I don’t know when I’ll jump back on the bike honestly, I’m just going to keep you a little bit more updated than the last month and a half so yeah, thanks for all the messages, I love you so much.” It’s fantastic to see Espargaro smiling and to hear how excited he is to return to action. We can’t wait to see him back racing!
Here’s how Jerez MotoGP test went
[Note: The story is as per press release]