On an average weekend, the efforts of riders within the paddock can be nothing short of superhuman as they grasp onto a set of handlebars atop a motorbike travelling at mindboggling speeds. The physical toll that can take on a fully fit body is huge, so to do it just a six days after undergoing surgery for a broken wrist is phenomenal, and to end up on the podium is herculean.
That’s exactly what Moto2™ title contender Aron Canet did at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Flexbox HP40 rider got caught up in the scary Red Flag incident at Portimao while leading the race, with the resulting injury seeing him have two screws inserted to his left wrist.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Canet proved he is made of stern stuff in the buildup to Jerez, immediately hitting the comeback trail, posting some inspiring clips to his Instagram of his recovery process.
Declared fit ahead of lights out, the Spaniard rode brilliantly to claim his third podium of the season behind race winner Ai Ogura, and afterwards spoke about how he had to fight through the pain barrier.
"It was one of the most difficult races in my life, but we did it and we will try to continue improving. We started the weekend without expectations, relaxed and we made it onto the podium," Canet told motogp.com.
"The pain started after 10 laps, and in the last seven, eight laps, I couldn’t do more. I just tried to finish the race and well, we’re here!
It certainly earned Canet plenty of new fans as his Championship fight goes on, with the 20 points picked up in Jerez leaving his fourth in the standings. He is 31 points behind leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), with a date in Le Mans handing them both a chance to reinforce their title credentials.