Alvaro Bautista has been diagnosed with cervical injuries after making a wildcard appearance at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista was diagnosed with cervical hernia and disc protrusion after Dr. Angel Villamor examined him in Madrid the week after the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The cervical MRI that was done in response to the left upper limb numbness and loss of strength following the crash at the Jerez test and during the Malaysian MotoGP.
This comes after Bautista captured his second WorldSBK championship in a row. However, he did not sustain any injuries during his wildcard appearance but its more likely he got injured after crashing at the post-season test in Jerez a few days earlier.
Although Bautista’s diagnosis was disappointing, it does explain why the Spaniard did not perform well on his wild card appearance at the Malaysian MotoGP last weekend. Apart from the free practice that was held early on November 11 where he made an impressive performance, the WorldSBK champion finished second to last in every session over the weekend.
“In the week following the MotoGP Grand Prix in Malaysia, Alvaro Bautista underwent examinations by Dr. Angel Villamor in Madrid,” statement from Aruba.it Ducati said.
“After medical specialist consultation and cervical spine MRI review due to loss of strength, numbness, and tingling sensation in the left upper limb reported after the crash in Jerez test and MotoGP Grand Prix of Malaysia.
“The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team’s rider was diagnosed with C6-C7 hernia and C5-C6 disc protrusions.
“Further medical examinations and tests will be carried out in the next few days in order to assess possible damages due to the cervical nerves compression. For the time being, however, surgery is not planned.”
Before receiving the diagnosis, the Spaniard had acknowledged to the media that he had been concealing a neck injury during the race.
“I have to confess that I had a problem all weekend but I didn’t want to accept it,” the Spaniard told The Race. “I told it to my team yesterday afternoon, after the race.
“In the Jerez test, after the last race [of the WSBK season], I had a very ugly crash. I crashed with my head and had some pain in my neck, but no more problems and the mobility was good.
“Then I came here and from Friday, I started to feel no power in the left, and especially in the left corners.
“I worked a lot with [MotoGP medical partner] Quiron health, but it was every time a bit worse and worse.
“For sure I didn’t ride as I wanted, and I’m so angry with myself because I cannot enjoy and I cannot push really good.”
Additional specialized medical examination will be carried out in the coming days to identify any potential damage resulting from cervical nerve compression. However, the current WSBK world champion is not scheduled for any surgery at the moment.
Bautista had an incredible WorldSBK campaign after he secured his second consecutive title finishing with 628 points, 76 ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu in second place.
However, the title came at a cost as Bautista suffered 10 crashes through the season. The only riders who have experienced more crashes than the Spaniard this season are Alex Loews (15), Iker Leucoma (13) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (11).
