Sete Gibernau underwent an operation to fix the fracture in his left collarbone today. The Spanish rider now needs a period of recovery and he will be replaced by Alex Hofmann at the Dutch TT. Loris Capirossi, undergoing physiotherapy to get back in shape as soon as possible, is already on his way to Assen. Sete underwent surgery at Dexeus Hospital in Barcelona, where Dr Xavier Mir and Dr Ignacio Ginebrera replaced the metal plate already present in his collarbone from a previous incident with a new one in titanium. Dr Mir declared that a recovery period of 3-5 weeks will be necessary before the Spanish rider can return to the track. “The operation went well”, declared Dr Mir. “We removed the plate covering the old injury to Sete Gibernau’s left collarbone and repaired the new fracture by applying a new titanium plate. The rider will now have to wait between 3 to 5 weeks before being able to race again”. Thanks to the Pramac d’Antin MotoGP Team and its sponsors, Luis d’Antin, Paolo Campitoti and Alex Hofmann, the Italian team will however be in a position to race both its Desmosedici GP6 machines at the imminent race in the Netherlands, despite the short period of time between Barcelona and Assen. For the Dutch TT, Sete Gibernau will be replaced by the German rider. Loris Capirossi (2nd place in World Championship with 99 points) After being kept in overnight for observation on Sunday at Catalunya General Hospital, Loris returned to Monte Carlo with his physiotherapist Roberto Brusi. Both men immediately got down to work with a massage therapy aimed at eliminating as quickly as possible the effects of the bruising Capirossi received during the horrific first-corner incident at Barcelona. The gutsy Italian rider is now on his way to Assen for the Dutch TT race. “That was a big crash but luckily I got off quite lightly. I received a nasty blow to the chest, which is still bothering me. My physiotherapist Roberto has been with me all the time and we immediately began to work on rehab, with a series of massages to help the bruising go down. I’d like to thank the Clinica Mobile and Dr Costa, whose assistance as always has been absolutely priceless. I’m not yet 100% fit but the important thing is to get back on the bike as soon as possible and see how it goes: I’m going to Assen with even more fighting spirit than usual!” Livio Suppo (Ducati MotoGP project leader) “I am relieved to see that the consequences of last Sunday’s crash are being resolved relatively easily. Loris is undergoing rehabilitation and is now on the way to the Netherlands in his usual determined frame of mind. Sete has just come out of the operating room and the doctors confirmed that the operation was successful. We are very sorry that he has to miss the next two GPs, but it could have been worse so we must breathe a sigh of relief and hope that Sete completely recovers as soon as possible. I would like to thank Alex Hofmann, Luis D’Antin, Paolo Campitoti, all the Pramac D’Antin MotoGP Team and their sponsors for the availability they have shown towards us. Although the Assen race comes just 6 days after the incident at Barcelona, we will now be in a position to line up with both of our bikes”.