Marco Bezzecchi has returned to riding for the first time since the crash that fractured his collarbone, with Aprilia confirming that the Italian completed a private test session on his RSV4 at Misano on Wednesday evening.
The Aprilia factory rider has been out of action since 11 July, when he crashed heavily in Q2 at the Sachsenring and was diagnosed with a complete displaced fracture of his left collarbone. The injury forced him to sit out both German Grand Prix races and undergo surgery, with a further procedure needed to clean a wound on his knee sustained in the same incident.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Aprilia revealed that Bezzecchi had completed a session of four runs on the RSV4 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as part of his rehabilitation. The team said his next appointment is at Silverstone, where he will undergo a medical assessment with the MotoGP medical team ahead of the British Grand Prix.
The return to the saddle comes less than three weeks after his operation and gives Aprilia genuine hope that their former championship leader can line up at Silverstone, a circuit where he stood on the top step of the podium last season.
The comeback trail caps a turbulent first half of the campaign for the Italian. After opening the season in imperious form to lead the world championship, Bezzecchi has scored no points on a Sunday since winning the Italian Grand Prix in May. He was collected in the Turn 1 pile-up at the Hungarian Grand Prix triggered by team-mate Jorge Martin, then sat out the Czech round through suspension after striking a marshal following a crash in the sprint race. His return at Assen ended with an early crash in the main race, before the qualifying accident in Germany.
Those setbacks have dropped Bezzecchi to fourth in the standings, 22 points behind Martin, who leads the championship for Aprilia. A green light from the MotoGP medical team at Silverstone would hand the Italian the chance to restart his season on a circuit he clearly enjoys, and give Aprilia both riders on track for the British round.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1102013/1/aprilia-motogp-team-gives-marco-bezzecchi-injury-update-he-returns-riding
- https://www.corsedimoto.com/en/motogp/bezzecchi-is-back-testing-at-misano-with-the-aprilia-rsv4-he-will-be-at-silverstone
