Suzuki rider Alex Rins sustained a fractured left wrist in the crash at the start of MotoGP’s Catalan Grand Prix today.
Rins was sent flying when Takaaki Nakagami crashed his LCR Honda going into Turn 1 and collected both the Suzuki and the Ducati of title contender Pecco Bagnaia.
Both Nakagami and Rins went to hospital for checks afterwards, with Rins correctly predicting his injury even before that.
“His bike touched me and I flew so badly,” said Rins.
“I think my left wrist is broken. I will go now to Dexeus [hospital] to check it. But it looks bad, because I cannot move [it] more [than a certain angle].”
That was confirmed at the Dexeus University Hospital, though an MRI scan revealed no ligament damage and additional checks on pain on his left ankle showed there was only inflammation there.
Rins will miss Monday’s test at Barcelona, but may be fit to race in the next grand prix in Germany in a fortnight.
Unfortunately I have a fracture in my wrist so I may have to rest for a llttle bit. I hope @takanakagami30 is doing well and that today changes something in our sport inmediately. Thank you for all your messages and support💙 #CatalanGP #MotoGP #Suzuki #42ins pic.twitter.com/0Mmog3PZTi
— Alex Rins (@Rins42) June 5, 2022
Dr Xavier Mir, MotoGP’s regular surgeon and head of elbow, hand and microsurgery at Dexeus, said Rins will have 10 days of treatment then be checked again ahead of the Sachsenring race.
“Alex Rins suffered a trauma to his left wrist, we performed a clinic, radiological, CT and MRI examinations which confirm: fracture of the body of the pyramidal bone of the left carpus, with significant perifracture bone edema,” said Dr Mir.
“We believe it should be treated with rigid immobilisation and electromagnetic therapy for 10 days, performing another examination after this period of time.”
Details of the outcome of Nakagami’s hospital checks are still awaited, though his LCR team said when he was on the way there that he had escaped significant head injuries and collarbone damage, with the focus being on right shoulder pain.
Rins was furious with both Nakagami for causing the crash and the MotoGP stewards for deciding it was not worthy of any punishment, suggesting they “are not doing their job well” and it was “obvious” they should all be replaced.
In a social media post after his initial hospital treatment, Rins said he hoped Nakagami was “doing well” and also “that today changes something in our sport immediately”.
