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Suzuki MotoGP rider Joan Mir has revealed he has suffered a right ankle fracture in a brutal opening lap Austrian Grand Prix crash.
The 2020 champion was thrown off his Suzuki at Turn 4 while running seventh, in a crash that wasn’t made to look too major during live coverage – but one that subsequent replays confirmed as having been severe.
Game over before it's even started! 💥@JoanMirOfficial is OUT on lap 1! 😢#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/1FQNFj4px6
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 21, 2022
Landing hard in the gravel after getting launched several metres in the air, Mir was in visible pain afterwards, and an initial medical assessment confirmed damage to his leg.
“It could’ve been a lot worse, so I feel lucky,” Mir said of the accident, according to his Suzuki team.
“Initial checks show some bone fragments and fractures in my ankle.
“Tomorrow I’ll go for further checks and an MRI.”
An official update from MotoGP said he had been declared unfit due to a torn ligament in his right foot.
Medical Info 📋#MotoGP rider #36 @JoanMirOfficial; a CT scan evidenced a ligament tear in his right foot. He's been declared unfit #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/ROvZ1nV6ri
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 21, 2022
Mir has two weeks of recovery time before the next round at Misano.
The retirement marked the 24-year-old’s sixth non-score in the past nine races.
His Suzuki team is pulling out of grand prix racing at the end of the season, and Mir is set to make the move to Honda to partner Marc Marquez.
