By blue2bikes
June 24 2006

During the first test session for this weekend’s Dutch TT at the Assen circuit, Valentino Rossi was just six laps into his first outing when he was high-sided from his machine at the fast left turn prior to the final hairpin. Tumbling through the gravel, he was to sustain what was first thought to be a broken wrist. Being winded and then placed onto a stretcher, which he promptly got off, he walked to the Clinica Mobile.

He was taken from there to the Assen Hospital, where he underwent a thorough check over - which revealed chest contusions, hairline fractures to his right hand, and left ankle along with a haematoma on his right elbow. Having had a CT scan and been given the all-clear on his chest, he returned back to the track for the afternoon session, after cancelling his usual media chat session.

Rossi said, “I am OK, and I wish everyone would relax about it. I fell hard and have sustained a little fracture to my left foot, and a small fracture to my right wrist, so when I brake or give it gas it’s really hard. I also got a big bruise to my thorax and couldn’t breathe well for a long time, but I have all the examinations, and with some pain killers I was able to ride this afternoon.”

Combined qualifying, Thursday 22nd June 2006:
1 Colin Edwards, Camel Yamaha Team, 1m 38.144s
2 Carlos Checa, Tech 3 Yamaha, 1m 38.259s
3 Casey Stoner, Honda LCR, 1m 38.416s
4 Kenny Roberts, Team Roberts, 1m 38.510s
5 Randy de Puniet, Kawasaki Racing Team, 1m 38.610s
6 John Hopkins, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1m 38.659s
7 Chris Vermeulen, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1m 38.720s
8 Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda, 1m 38.921s
9 Shin’ya Nakano, Kawasaki Racing Team, 1m 38.965s
10 Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team, 1m 39.142s
11 Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1m 39.166s
12 Valentino Rossi, Camel Yamaha Team, 1m 39.458s
13 James Ellison, Tech 3 Yamaha, 1m 39.645s
14 Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda, 1m 39.647s
15 Alex Hofmann, Ducati Marlboro Team, 1m 40.248s
16 Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, 1m 40.688s
17 José Luís Cardoso, Pramac d’Antín MotoGP, 1m 42.814s
18 Iván Silva, Pramac d’Antín MotoGP, 1m 43.699s
19 Toní Elías, Fortuna Honda, 1m 48.919s*

* denotes time set in free practice one