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Rossi confirms he will ride in first practice at MotoGP Aragon

Update Weds PM: Rossi has been passed fit to ride by Aragon circuit medics.

Less than three weeks after breaking his tibia and fibula, Valentino Rossi has confirmed he will try to ride in Friday’s Aragon MotoGP first practice.

Rossi completed a 20-lap test at Misano yesterday on a R1M and found he was able to ride without huge discomfort. But he will have to pass a circuit medical tomorrow which will involve hopping up and down on the broken limb…

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“Fortunately, yesterday I had a good test with my YZF-R1M in Misano. I tried also the day before, but the rain stopped me after a few laps. Yesterday I managed to complete 20 laps and find the answers I was looking for,” said Rossi.

“Eventually, the test was positive and I want to say thanks to Dr. Lucidi and his staff, who helped me find the best solutions to feel the least amount of pain possible in my leg when I’m riding. Obviously at the end of the test I was in a little bit of pain, but this morning I went to Dr. Pascarella for a medical check, and it came out with a positive result.

“At the end I decided I will leave for Aragón and will try to ride my M1 this weekend. If I will be declared fit to ride, I’ll have the real answer after FP1, because riding the M1 will be a much bigger challenge. We’ll see.”

Michael van der Mark will be waiting in the wings should Rossi decide to knock it on the head. Yamaha have a deadline of two hours before qualifying to put the Dutchman on the bike, which would be some baptism of fire.

“Though it remains uncertain if I will get to ride the YZR-M1 this weekend, I’m still looking forward to it. While I would like to get to step aboard the YZR-M1, I’m also fully supporting Valentino making his return. I’ll either get to make my MotoGP debut or, should I not be able to ride, I will get to see Valentino live in action as he makes his comeback,” he said, probably with his lip down a bit.

“As I said earlier, I’ve not been able to ride a MotoGP bike before the Grand Prix kicks off so, if Valentino ends up withdrawing from the Aragón GP, I will have to jump in at the deep end at the start of the next session and just try my best. However, after securing my first WorldSBK podium of the 2017 season in Portimão, I’m having a good momentum to step up to the challenge. I want to thank Yamaha again for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure it will be a good experience either way.”

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