Tech 3 Yamaha team boss Herve Poncharal does not think his new rider Andrea Dovizioso's collarbone injury will get in the way of his preparations for the 2012 MotoGP season.
Dovizioso, who has moved from the factory Honda lineup to Tech 3 this year, broke his right collarbone yesterday when he had a minor fall while riding a motocross bike and landed awkwardly. The Italian will undergo surgery in Bologna hospital tomorrow.
But as MotoGP testing does not resume until Jan. 31, at Sepang in Malaysia. Poncharal is confident Dovizioso will be fit in time – especially as his teammate Cal Crutchlow and 2011 Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards both shrugged off collarbone injuries quickly last season.
"There are three weeks before the Sepang test, which is only the first test of the year," Poncharal said. "Also, both Colin and Cal recovered very quickly from similar injuries last season."
Edwards and Crutchlow missed just one race each following their injuries at Catalunya and Silverstone, respectively, with Edwards managing a podium finish in Britain only eight days after his breakage.