Andrea Iannone’s participation in the remainder of the Misano MotoGP weekend is in doubt after a crash during practice on Friday.
Ducati rider Iannone came off his bike at Turn 13 during the opening practice session for the San Marino Grand Prix.
The Italian landed on his back, sustaining a fractured D3 vertebra as confirmed by a CT scan conducted at a local hospital following the crash.
In spite of the shunt, Iannone remains eager to race at Misano.
“In the first FP1 run on my fifth lap I slipped and lost the front at Turn 13, then I started to roll in the gravel,” Iannone said.
“Unfortunately I suffered a compression to my back and the tests have shown a fractured D3 vertebra. The doctors have decided to check me again tomorrow morning, before giving me any OK for the race.
“I hope to be able to rest well tonight and wake up without too much pain, because I really want to race at Misano.”
Pol Espargaro topped the practice timesheets for the Yamaha Tech3 team on Friday, finishing narrowly clear of Dani Pedrosa and Antonio Dovizioso in FP2.