Displaced Fractures and Surgery for Valentino Rossi

Movistar Yamaha has issued another press release about the condition of MotoGP racer Valentino Rossi, confirming that the nine-time World Champion has broken the tibia and fibula bones on his right leg.

As such, Valentino Rossi will undergo immediate surgery to correct the fractures. The condition of the 38-year-old racer will be updated Friday morning, but it seems likely that this news dashes Rossi’s MotoGP Championship hunt for this season.

This is because a displaced fracture is a serious injury, as it means that Rossi has broken his bones in several places, and the pieces of the those fractured bones are not set correctly to heal on their own.

As such, surgery will be necessary to align the bones correctly for healing, and likely some sort of brace (either internally or externally) will be installed to keep the bones in the correct position post-surgery.

Rossi broke his right leg (the same on he broke at Mugello in 2010) while riding an enduro bike, during training with his VR46 Riders Academy riders. After the accident, Rossi was taken to the local hospital, the Ospedale Civile di Urbino.

With the San Marino GP just a week away, and Rossi 26 points behind Andrea Dovizioso in the MotoGP Championship standings, this news seems both to cast doubt on Rossi’s immediate return to racing, as well as his chances for a 10th World Championship title this season.

The full implications of this injury on Rossi’s 2017 MotoGP season won’t be known until after tonight’s surgery. So, stay tuned for more news on Rossi’s injury status.

UPDATE: Yamaha reports a successful surgery for Valentino Rossi on Friday.