Image: Supplied.

LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his fractured left scaphoid in hope of returning for this weekend’s second round of the MotoGP season, again to be held at Jerez.

Crutchlow crashed in turn eight during yesterday’s morning warm-up and was ruled out of the season-opener, but intends to return after having a small fixing pin inserted in his wrist.

“Unfortunately in the last lap of the warm-up I crashed going into turn eight,” reflected Crutchlow. “It seemed that when I braked on the kerb, the front of the bike slid and I was unable to save the crash.

“What was going to be a normal crash escalated when I went into the deep gravel trap and started tumbling, hitting my head quite a few times, particularly my face. I was a bit dazed after the crash and a bit sore in my whole body, especially my hands.

“After further assessment at the medical centre I was sent for the CT scan on my head and neck and it all came back fine. With the facial bruising I had, however, Dr Angel Charte felt I needed eight hours rest, which I think was the right decision.

“When I returned to the circuit I began to feel some pain in my left wrist, so went for another scan of the scaphoid, which it seems has been broken in the crash. Dr [Xavier] Mir will operate on the wrist in Barcelona on Tuesday morning and I will return to the circuit on Friday and hopefully to action. I look forward to seeing the LCR Honda Castrol Team there and hopefully to work hard with them again next weekend.”

It was an incident-packed start to the delayed 2020 MotoGP World Championship, with world champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) breaking his humerus in the race and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) fracturing that same bone during Q2 on Saturday.