Cal Crutchlow has revealed that he will undergo an MRI scan on his right shoulder on Monday after the Brit felt it “snap” during the Alcaniz Grand Prix at Aragon.
The LCR rider struggled to 11th after suffering with the shoulder from around the quarters distance, though problems with his soft rear tyre also stunted his progress.
Crutchlow says he is “pretty concerned” about what his shoulder could mean for the rest of his 2020 campaign, though admitted that his rear tyre drama’s were “worse” for his ultimate race result having decided on a late gamble to switch from the longer-lasting medium compound after struggling to overtake other riders in last weekend’s Aragon GP.
“I felt really good at the start of the race with the soft rear tyre, I was in a good position and able to battle but as soon as the other guys came past me it became apparent that they had better acceleration out of the corners as my rear tyre was dropping quite a lot,” explained Crutchlow.
“Unfortunately at around lap six when I was changing direction from Turns 3 to 4 I felt a snap in my right shoulder, so we’re pretty concerned about that.
“It wasn’t a massive drama in the race, the rear tyre was worse but I felt that if I could get away with the leading guys I’d be able to defend my position later on but today we simply never had the pace, so it’s a disappointing result.
“When I was changing direction and pulling the handlebars I felt a snap in the right shoulder, so I slowed for a few laps because I felt a lot of pain, but then it went away because of the adrenaline as I was battling a bit but now after the race it’s really sore so tomorrow I’ll head off for an MRI scan.”
The three-time premier class winner has undergone a tough season as far as injuries are concerned, having broken his wrist during free practice for the season opening Spanish GP at Jerez that forced him to miss the contest.
He then had to skip the double-header races at Misano after he suffered extreme swelling in his right arm following a usually-routine arm pump surgery, before sustaining an ankle injury after tripping while exiting a Covid-19 testing booth ahead of his return for the Catalan GP.
The Brit has shown encouraging speed despite his patchy year-highlighted by a third-placed grid start for the Aragon GP last weekend- despite his MotoGP future currently being in the air after being let-go by Honda ahead of ’21.
He is thought to be Aprilia’s first choice to join Aleix Espargaro at the team next year should Andrea Iannone lose his appeal to reverse the 18-month doping ban he received earlier this season.
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