Following his accident at the conclusion of Saturday’s Alice TT Assen Pramac Racing rider Mika Kallio will miss the next MotoGP round at Laguna Seca.
Damage to one of the fingers on his left hand means the Finnish rider is unable to ride his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 Sat this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and the MotoGP rookie will therefore have to wait a while longer to make his Laguna debut.
The ‘ring finger’ of his left hand was cut down to the bone in the crash meaning Kallio has lost the nail on that finger for good, though fortunately the nervous system in the finger has not been damaged. A bandage has been placed on the finger and it is being disinfected daily.
After the Sachsenring and Donington rounds Kallio will probably require a skin graft to permanently close the wound. He is expected to compete at those two European rounds with an imitation skin protection on the injured finger.
The Pramac Racing team have decided not to find a substitute for the Scandinavian rider for the Laguna Seca weekend, meaning Niccolò Canepa will make his American debut alone.
Fabiano Sterlacchini, the Pramac Racing Technical Director:
“Mika’s condition is better than what we thought straight after the race, but still we preferred to give him a weekend off to recover. This would have been the first time at Laguna Seca for him and with his precarious physical condition we preferred not to take any more risks and we hope he will be at his best in three weeks time at Sachsenring. Mika will not undergo surgery before the German GP, but will continue to take medication and have the injured finger cleaned daily to avoid infection and further complications.”
Kallio:
“I was so excited to race at Laguna Seca, but I guess destiny wanted it to be this way and I will have to miss out, which is a pity. We have taken this decision together with Pramac Racing and I think this is probably the best way. Laguna would have been a new circuit to learn for me and with my physical condition we thought it would have been too risky. I will look after myself in the best way possible to be in good form at Sachsenring, which is one of my favourite circuits. I wish all the best to Niccolò who will have to do well for the Pramac team this weekend.”
