He had to have a pain killing injection in order to take part in the second race, but the lack of manoeuvrability on the bike meant that his upper body had to work much harder just to get the GSX-R1000 Suzuki round the track.

On his return to Madrid he went to see a specialist to get his knee thoroughly examined.
“Fortunately nothing was broken or badly damaged, “ he said, “but there was some damage to the ligaments and that was the problem I felt in race two. The doctor advised me not to do any training, stay calm and use ice packs on the knee to help the recovery. So I am spending the time at home relaxing and waiting until Monday when I can start training again. If all goes well, I should be about 90% fit for Monza. Before going to Italy though, I have to go to Paris for an interview for Eurosport and to Barcelona for a motorshow on Wednesday 7th May. I’ll be signing autographs and meeting the fans, so if you’re there, come and say hello.”