[kropotkin thinks...] - Rossi Crashes During Training Without Injury

[Ninjette Newsbot]

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Staying in shape for MotoGP riders remains a tricky business. The only way to maintain their level of bike control is to ride motorcycles at speed, but with that comes the risk of a crash and possible injury.

The latest victim of the curse of motocross training was Valentino Rossi. Rossi crashed heavily on Thursday, training near Pesaro in Italy. The Italian was taken to hospital to have his shoulder checked out, but despite suffering some pain, Rossi escaped without injury. The Doctor is expected to race in Japan, and the injury should not affect his ability to race.

Rossi's crash was the second stroke of motocross mishap for the Fiat Yamaha Team, Jorge Lorenzo breaking a bone in his hand in February this year. That crash meant Lorenzo missed out on valuable testing time at Sepang, and had a serious impact on Lorenzo's pre-season preparation. The lack of injury to Valentino Rossi led the Italian website MotoCorse.com to question quite legitimately whether his crash qualifies as news at all. But as MotoCorse.com points out, Rossi is the biggest star in the sport, and if anything happens to the Italian, it automatically qualifies as news.