Following an accident during qualifying for the Dutch GP in Assen, Lorenzo Baldassarri suffered a concussion and significant brake to his right ankle last Saturday. After extensive treatment at the “Universitair Medisch Centrum” Hospital in Groningen, the Italian returned home on Sunday evening.
At present, the 20-year old is now being treated at the "Infermi” Hospital, Rimini, within the Orthopedic and Traumatological ward, where he will undergo surgery this morning to repair a fracture of the medial malleolus in his right ankle. Dr. Giannicola Lucidi will conduct the operation, and evaluate the possibility of implanting a number of screws to secure Baldassarri´s ankle; enabling the rider to start his recovery for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic as quickly as possible.
Due to his injuries, Baldassarri must sit-out the ninth round of the 2017 Moto2 World Championship, which takes place this weekend at the Sachsenring, Germany. Federico Fuligni, who is currently a rider for the Forward Racing Junior Team in the FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship, will therefore get the chance to collect some valuable experience at the World Championship level, as he gets set to partner Luca Marini for this weekend’s GP.
Fuligni was born in the Italian town of Bologna and spent much of his early racing career on 600cc machines. From 2006 to 2012 he participated in a variety of races, including Yamaha R6 Cup and European Superstock 600 rounds, as well taking several podiums in the Italian Championship series. In 2012 and 2013 he raced in the CIV, category Moto3, with multiple point scoring rides before debuting in the CEV Moto2 Championship in 2014, where he finished 16th overall. Fuligni remained in the FIM CEV Respol Moto2 European Championship in 2015 and ended the season in ninth position, with a best finish of fourth in both races at Aragon.
In 2014 and 2015 he competed as a wildcard in the World Championship at Misano, Aragon and Valencia. His best result was 25th at Valencia before the close of 2015. In 2016, he continued with Team Ciatti and obtained one podium at the second round of the CEV Championship in Valencia. Last year he competed at World Championship level again, with a best result of 18th in both Jerez and Misano. Currently, Fuligni occupies the seventh spot in the CEV Moto2 overall standing, after only three of eleven races.
Federico Fuligni
“Of course, I’m really happy about this opportunity and fortunately I already have some experience in this highly competitive category. I’m convinced that it won’t be easy at all, but I want to try to have fun at the Sachsenring. It will definitely be a fantastic experience to work with Lorenzo’s team there, and it goes without saying, that I want to learn as much as possible from them. For sure, I can benefit from this weekend for the remainder of the Spanish Championship, in which I’m currently taking part. Obviously, I’m incredibly sorry for Lorenzo and I hope that he’ll recover soon. I will try to give it my all, especially as I’m competing in his name.”
Giovanni Cuzari – Team Owner
“First of all, I have to say that it’s really disappointing to announce that Lorenzo won’t be with us in Germany, but of course following the injury he sustained in Assen, we have to take the best possible decision regarding his recovery and with the summer break being so close, we came to the conclusion that it’s better for him to take his time and come back strong in Brno. Federico Fuligni from our Junior Team, who is usually riding the Moto2 class of the Spanish Championship, will therefore replace Lorenzo to gain a bit more experience at World Championship level. We wish him all the best for this race, which won’t be an easy task as Federico doesn’t know the track layout, but I am sure he will learn a lot and take advantage of the highly-experienced crew Lorenzo is working with. We’ll see what he is able to do at the Sachsenring.”