MotoGP championship leader Dani Pedrosa will have to start from 12th on the grid in Sunday's German grand prix if he recovers in time after being injured in a crash during practice and missing qualifying on Saturday. The Spaniard came off his Honda machine exiting the first corner at the Sachsenring and after initial checks on site he was taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby Chemnitz.
A further X-ray examination and a scan showed the 27-year-old had sustained a "minor fracture" to his left collarbone and he decided to rest instead of taking part in qualifying, organisers said on the MotoGP website (www.motogp.com). Pedrosa's team mate and compatriot Marc Marquez took pole, the third of his fledgling MotoGP career, ahead of Britain's Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi of Italy, both on Yamahas.
Crutchlow will start inside the top two for the third race in succession despite two heavy falls on Friday which have left him in pain, while Rossi is on the front row for the first time since the Portuguese grand prix in 2010. "Should he wish to compete in the race, Pedrosa - who has won the last three German Grands Prix - will be revaluated by medical staff on Sunday morning," organisers said.
"If this is the case and he passes the relevant tests, he will start from 12th on the grid by virtue of his lap times from combined practice." Pedrosa's setback follows the withdrawal on Friday of his compatriot Jorge Lorenzo, the world champion.
Yamaha rider Lorenzo, second in this year's standings after seven of 18 races, flew to Barcelona for another operation on his damaged left shoulder after he crashed in practice. He broke his collarbone in practice for the Dutch grand prix at Assen two weeks ago and had a titanium plate inserted with eight screws but the plate was bent in Friday's spill.
Lorenzo had a new plate inserted on Saturday which needed 11 screws, Joaquin Rodriguez, the surgeon who carried out the procedure, told motogp.com. "It is yet to be confirmed whether Lorenzo will contest next weekend's ninth round of 2013 at Laguna Seca," organisers said.
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