When Valentino Rossi crashed out at Motegi, he reported that the fingers of his hand hurt and after returning to Italy, underwent further X-Rays at the Hospital of Cattolica that revealed that he had a hairline fracture to his pinky finger.
Rossi will not miss the upcoming Phillip Island GP, however he will miss tomorrow’s eighth and final day of testing of the GP12 that Ducati had programmed at Jerez.
Team mate Nicky Hayden has been immediately called back to Europe and will do the test.
This will be the third time that Hayden gets a chance to test the GP12 (after Jerez and Mugello), but it will be with all probability the recent aluminium version.
Ducati Press Release:Valentino Rossi’s fall in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday was not without consequences, although the initial examination suggested otherwise.
Due to the severity of the pain and swelling in his left hand, the Italian on Tuesday underwent additional X-rays that revealed a hairlinefracture at the arthrodesis of the first and second phalanx (performed following a fall at Assen in 1995) of the pinky finger on his left hand.
Rossi’s participation in the Australian Grand Prix on October 16 is not in doubt.
Tomorrow, Thursday 6 October, Nicky Hayden will test the GP12 at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, using the last of eight days the team is allowed with the 2012 bike.