Enea Bastianini plots Spanish MotoGP comeback: "Let's hope the painkillers will take effect"
The factꦡory Ducati rider suffered a broken shoulder blade at the first-ever sprint race and has been missing since.
But, he came through a test in Italy unscathed this week♊ and will fly to Jerez.
"Ten laps at Misano aboard the Panigale V4S to understand my condit🦂ion,” Bastianini said.
“After weeks of rest and rehabilitation I feel rea🅷dy to get back on track.
“On Thurs🥂da💜y I will fly to Jerez for the final check of the doctors. See you there."
He added to Sky: "The last indications were good, the last test at Misano was much more pos♍itive than the one before Austin. I didn't hesitate, I'll leave for Jerez even if I'm not 100 percent. I can't stay at🌠 home, I feel like racing. I'll try to bring home a few points."
"I'll be happy if I cꦜan stay in the top 10, it would be a good result.
"I will have to adapt to the speeds of MotoGP, the crit൲ical part will be the manag൩ement of the race and to keep the pace high.
“I know that I will be very annoyed by the right-hand corners and in Jerez they are enough. Let's hope the painkille💛r💖s will take effect.
“🅷I'm calmer for the Sprint than for the normal race.”
He said about missing CO🔜TA: "Not being there was hard to 📖accept. Austin is one of my favourite tracks, it was a complicated choice, after the test I thought about it for five hours, but I think it was the wisest decision."
Davide Tardozzi, ෴Ducati teaܫm manager, and Michele Pirro, their test rider, were in Misano to keep a close eye on Bastianini’s progress.
It has been a disastrous start to 2023 for Bastianini since his pr♉omotion from Gresini Racing to Ducati’s factory set-up.
He♌ was tipped as a threat to his new teammate Francesco Bagnaia’s championship after their exhilarating battles at the end of 2022✨.
But he was wiped out by fellow Ducati ride🐬r Luca Marini on the first Saturday of the season in Portimao, and has missed all three grands prix as a result.
He 𝐆avoided surgery on his shoulder inj𒊎ury which has sped up his recovery plan.
Bastianini is 64༺ points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everyt🎉hing from American sports, to 𝓰football, to F1.
