Chinese GP: Olivier Jacque post-surgery update

JACQUE ALREADY ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY AFTER SUCCESSFUL OPERATION

Olivier Jacque underwent an operation at Shanghai's Huashan hospital this afternoon to repair the damage to his right forearm, sustained in a crash during the second free practice session at the Shanghai International circuit today.

During the course of the operation doctors from the Clinica Mobile made the decision to close fully the wound, after ascertaining that no skin grafts were necessary.

As a result, Jacque's chances of racing at Le Mans have improved significantly, but the 33-year-old Frenchman faces an uncertain two weeks as he waits to see if the injury will recover sufficiently to allow him to take his place on the starting grid at his home race.

Jacque will return to Barcelona tomorrow afternoon, where he will consult with his own doctors in a bid to accelerate the rehabilitation of his injury.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will monitor closely Jacque's physical condition in the run up to the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, before making a decision about his fitness to race.

Bartholemy, Kawasaki Competition Manager

"The fact that the wound could be closed with a single operation today is good news for Olivier, because this will reduce the recovery time to the point where it could be possible for him to ride at Le Mans. For sure, he is motivated to come back for his home Grand Prix, and I hope that this will be the case, but we need to be sure that when he does return he does so in a condition that will allow him to race at 100%. For this reason we will continue to assess Olivier's recovery over the next week or so before making a decision as to whether he will ride at Le Mans or not."

-credit: kawasaki