Avintia Ducati’s Loris Baz has been ruled out of competing at next weekend’s Barcelona MotoGP round after surgery on the foot fractures he sustained at Mugello revealed the breaks were more complicated than originally thought.

The Frenchman went under the knife in Switzerland yesterday at La Tour Meyrin Hospital, Geneva, and surgeons needed one and a alf hours to fix the fractures with three titanium plates, plus two nails and fifteen screws.

“It’s a shame, because the injury is quite big, not in terms of health risk, but it will take some time to heal. Is not just one broken bone, are all foot, because the one that is not broken, the ligament does so. It was a tricky injury but I’m happy with the great job made by Dr. Mahler’s team,” said Baz.

“Unfortunately miracles don’t exist, and my bones won’t heal in one week, so it’s impossible to be fit for Barcelona. Want to be back in Assen, and we’ll work together to make it happen. Now I’ll go home and rest for a couple of days, because I can’t do any exercise for one week. Then I’ll start to work with the physio, also trying to keep my physical condition.

“I want to say big thank you to my team, Bocha, Raul, my mechanics, also Hector, who is always calling asking for news. Is difficult when you are at the hospital when you want to ride your bike, but when you know the team you have, that believes and support you, is something I really appreciate.

Of course I want to thank my family because they have been with me every single minute. And also big thank you to the staff of Mugello’s hospital, the MotoGP Medical Team and the Clinica Mobile, because they did a great job to set the dislocations.”