Lorenzo Baldassarri 'stable' after horror highside
Lorenzo Baldassarri will remain under observation in hospital tonight after a huge highside brought out the red flags in Moto2 qualifying at Assen.
The Forward Racing rider was flung viciously into the air when he touched the kerb on the exit of the fast Ramshoek corner, which leads to the final chicane.
The 20-year old briefly lost consciousness, but fortunately escaped any serious injuries.
He was taken to hospital in Groningen for further examination, where the medical staff confirmed a brain concussion. Dr. Michele Zasa made the following statement:
"Lorenzo is now admitted at the emergency room under observation. He underwent several CT scans and the results were negative regarding the injury. He will still have to undergo an x-ray on his right ankle in order to exclude any fracture.
"Lorenzo's vital signs are stable, he is awake, conscious but he doesn't remember the course of the accident. During the next few hours he will be seen by a neurologist and Lorenzo needs to remain under observation overnight.
"He will be re-evaluated tomorrow morning and without any further complications we expect him to be discharged tomorrow."
Thanks all of you guys for the support. I'll try to come back ASAP. Big thanks to the doctors, @ForwardRacingGP and @VRRidersAcademy pic.twitter.com/Ksrd3Nlubl-- Lorenzo Baldassarri (@7balda) June 24, 2017
"Therefore, I need to express great appreciation to Dainese and AGV, because without their top-level protection Lorenzo's injuries could have been a lot worse. Today we have been once again a testimonial for how important the safety on track is for our riders and that we have to try to improve it in every possible way. I also want to thank all the medical staff and everybody involved for their great support, plus everybody from the paddock for their interest and good wishes."
Valentino Rossi, a mentor to Baldassarri as part of the VR46 Riders Academy, said: "Big head concussion but he can move everything. He don't remember very well where he is, but he can speak, is conscious. So I think it's very positive news. It was a very wild crash, very bad."
Baldassarri;s team-mate and (Rossi's half-brother) Luca Marini will start Sunday's race from 14th place.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
