De Puniet ankle operation a success

Randy De Puniet has had surgery on his left ankle to remove screws which were inserted earlier in the year, following a motocross training accident.

The LCR Honda rider fractured his left ankle at the start of August when involved in a private training session to maintain his fitness over the summer break, and had the screws inserted to help him continue his season.

The accident, which came after his first and only podium of the season at Donington, did not prevent De Puniet from racing again in the 2009 campaign, and he was back on the grid in Brno just two weeks later as he underwent some intense rehabilitation.

Having raced through the pain barrier for the remainder of the season, De Puniet will now be able to allow his ankle to recover fully, before resuming his pre-season preparations ahead of the next scheduled test in Malaysia in February.

“It was a very quick and easy operation,” explained the 28 year-old. “After the crash in August I worked hard to get the best from the bike but sometimes it has been very painful for me. After the races my ankle was always very swollen but now I am very satisfied because the size is normal. I am going to remove the stitches in 18 days and after that will begin my rehabilitation training to be in good form at Sepang in February.”