Dani, you went training on a mountain bike last weekend. Tell us what happened.
Daniel Juncadella: I was with eight others training and mountain biking in Ibiza. Everything was going fine until Saturday afternoon when I had a small accident and fractured my collarbone. I wasn’t going fast at the time, but I took a tumble to the left. It seemed like only a minor mishap, so I just rode on. But when I got back from the outing, I realised that my collarbone wasn’t in the right place. That came as a shock for me, because it’s something I’ve never experienced before. It was strange because, up to then, I hadn’t felt any pain. Well obviously, we drove straight to the hospital and I flew to Barcelona to see a specialist as soon as possible. There, I was operated on by the MotoGP surgeon, Dr Mir, and 24 hours later I was back home. Of course, this is not the ideal start to the season, but luckily it was attended to very quickly and there were no complications.
What happens next now?
Daniel Juncadella: Yesterday afternoon, I started rehab together with my physiotherapist. First, we did some gentle exercises with the left arm and also some magnetic therapy. When I had the accident, my only thought was: “Oh man, maybe the season is already over for me.” But luckily, it wasn’t that bad, and 48 hours later, I was doing as well as can be expected in the circumstances.
Do you expect to be fit enough for the ITR test at Hockenheim next week?
Daniel Juncadella: Yes, I’m sure of that. I’ll take it easy to begin with, and I’ll also have my doctor there. The decisive factor will be how I feel in the car. This also includes checking to see if, for example, the seat belts are pressing too hard on my collarbone or on the scar. But I’m optimistic that we can cope. In the week after the test, the stitches will be removed, and I’m convinced that I’ll then get fit enough to start the season in early May.
