Japanese MotoGP, Motegi
Date: 2-3 October

Saturday 2 October: Qualifying, 0450-0800, BBC Red Button/online
Sunday 3 October: 125cc & Moto2, 0350-0600, BBC Red Button/online, MotoGP 0640-0800, BBC Two/online. MotoGP repeat, 2350-0110, BBC Two/online

Pedrosa crashes at Motegi

Dani Pedrosa has undergone successful surgery on a fractured collarbone.

The Repsol Honda rider suffered the injury in a fall in practice at the Japanese MotoGP on Friday but returned home to Barcelona for the procedure.

Although the operation was a success, Dr Xavier Mir refused to put a timescale on his recovery.

"The operation went very well," said Dr Mir. "But at this time, it is not possible to give precise dates for Dani's recovery."

Mir, the surgeon in charge of fitting a titanium plate to Pedrosa's fractured left collarbone, added: "Dani had a four fragment chip fracture of the left collarbone and we have performed a fixation with a titanium plate"

It was also confirmed that Pedrosa, who will remain in hospital for one or two days, had only sprained his left ankle when his leg was momentarily trapped under his bike during the fall.

"Regarding the left ankle, while in surgery we performed another stress X-ray and saw that we were dealing with a grade-one ankle sprain, which will heal in a short space of time," Mir continued.

"The rider is recently out of surgery and I think we must wait at least 48 hours, after which time, if all goes well, we may begin rehabilitation."

Pedrosa said he knew instantly that it was a serious injury, and he felt that he "did not deserve it."

"I tried to stop the bike as usual but I knew something was wrong and couldn't avoid going down," he said.

"After the crash I knew immediately that I was injured because it was very painful. I had a big impact in my left ankle and also my collarbone was broken as I hit the track - so obviously it feels very unlucky because recently we have had really good results."

MotoGP medical director Michele Macchiagodena suggested that Pedrosa would definitely miss the next round of the championship, in Malaysia.

It had been feared Pedrosa had also suffered an ankle fracture but this was ruled out.

"We x-rayed the ankle as well and it is okay. He had old fractures but nothing new, just a small contusion," said Macchiagodena.

Pedrosa trails fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo by 56 points in the riders' standings ahead of tomorrow's race, and his injury all but hands his rival the championship.

Japanese MotoGP, free practice times:

1 V Rossi (It) Yamaha 1:48.174
2 A Dovizioso (It) Honda 1:48.387
3 J Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha 1:48.474
4 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 1:48.481
5 B Spies (US) Yamaha 1:49.302
6 H Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 1:49.357
7 C Edwards (US) Yamaha 1:49.377
8 H Barbera (Sp) Ducati 1:49.544
9 L Capirossi (Ita) Suzuki 1:49.568
10 M Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 1:49.581
11 M Melandri (Ita) Honda 1:49.620
12 A Bautista (Sp) Suzuki 1:49.644
13 N Hayden (US) Ducati 1:49.882
14 R de Puniet (Fr) Honda 1:49.957
15 A Espargaro (Sp) Ducati 1:50.158

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