Rossi has won seven MotoGP championships

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has suffered bruising after falling from a motocross bike during a training exercise in Italy.

Rossi, 31, had been preparing in Pesaro ahead of next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix when he took a tumble.

The Italian rider, who won the first MotoGP race of the season in Qatar last weekend, was sent for X-rays after expressing discomfort in his back.

But he was cleared to compete at next week's race in Motegi on 25 April.

The Yamaha rider currently leads the MotoGP leaderboard after recording his 104th victory in Qatar, a race which saw arch-rival Casey Stoner fall from his bike while leading on lap five.

Rossi, who has won nine world championships during his 14 years in the sport, went on to finish the race a second clear of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Second-placed Lorenzo finished runner up to Rossi in last season's MotoGP championship, over 40 points behind the seven-time MotoGP champion.

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