Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS hopes to be back to full strength for this weekend’s MotoGP™ showdown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Tito Rabat preparing for a brave return to action from a left shoulder injury that ruled him out in Mugello.
Rabat heads to his home round in Barcelona fully intending to line up on the grid for Sunday’s 25-lap race after making positive progress during an intensive rehabilitation from the fractured left collarbone he suffered in an FP3 fall in Italy.
Rabat’s participation in round seven of the 2016 MotoGP™ World Championship is subject to medical clearance being issued on Thursday after he needed a titanium plate and eight titanium screws to stabilise the damaged collarbone in a 90-minute procedure carried out at the Hospital Universitario Dexeus in Barcelona.
The 26-year-old is determined to feature in front of a massive home crowd because the 4.7km track is a personal favourite, and he has stood on the Moto2™ podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the last three years, including a win from pole position in 2014.
Tito Rabat: “Firstly, I want to say a big thanks to all the medical team and circuit staff at Mugello and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for all the attention I received after my crash. Their quick reaction was very important in giving me a chance to ride in my home race this weekend. The operation in Barcelona last week went very well and Doctors Mir and Marlet as always did a great job. I have been fully concentrated on recovering as well as I possibly can, and I will be giving my all to be on track in my home Grand Prix. The target is to be as close to full strength as I can be and work closely with my team and Honda to try and make another step. I felt we’d made another small step before my crash in Mugello and that was good. I will try to finish the race and improve my feeling with the bike. If we can do that I think it will be a successful weekend.”