Costa acknowledges Gadea bravery

The head of MotoGP's travelling hospital Clinica Mobile, Dr Claudio Costa, spoke to motogp.com following Sunday night's action at the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, giving his thoughts on the valiant efforts of Bancaja Aspar's 125cc race winner Sergio Gadea, who rode to victory at Losail just days after dislocating his collarbone in a test crash at the same venue.

Gadea's triumph in the first ever floodlit single cylinder contest was all the more remarkable given his eighth place start on the grid, some below par free practice runs, his 22nd position in the warm-up and some serious doubts as to whether or not he was even capable of taking part in the race.

The 23 year old Spaniard had dislocated his collarbone in an accident during the previous weekend's smaller class test at Losail, before crashing again on Friday causing further discomfort, and was in tears due to the emotion and pain after Sunday's race.

Doctor Costa, one of the most respected and valued members of the World Championship's travelling fraternity, stated in his typically enthusiastic style: "It was unbelivable. I think Sergio was really emotional about it all. He was like a kid going after something that he thinks he can't get, but then realising that he could actually do it. He wanted to show everything he is capable of. In the end he put on a perfect display on the night in Losail."

"I think he was crying more due to happiness than due to the pain. Crying is always an expression of emotion and he showed great emotion tonight."

On the recuperation process that will now follow and on whether Gadea will be fully fit for round two at Jerez Dr Costa added: "He is still injured, his collar bone was dislocated. We'll speak with his medical staff, his athletic trainer, as they have to do a big job on his rehabilitation." "I think he will need to work in the swimming pool and then he would be in a better condition in Jerez, but I don't know if he could show the same amount of emotion again that he showed in Qatar."

Reflecting on his victory, Gadea himself explained: "I didn't expect to win. I knew that in good shape I had the pace to win, but in these conditions I didn't know how long I would be able to stand the pain for. Actually, it hurt a lot but I managed to put up with it and I am really happy to finish first. "