MotoGP: Iannone to sit out Motegi

Andrea Iannone will once again miss a round of the 2016 MotoGP championship, as he sits out his second consecutive race thanks to a back injury sustained during practice for the Misano round of the championship a month ago.

Iannone was replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro both at Misano and last time out at Aragon, but had hoped to be back in action in time for the three-week flyaway visit to Japan, Australia and Malaysia.

Last week the Ducati Team’s Italian rider underwent a series of checks, which showed that the excess fluid in his back injury had been almost totally absorbed and that the calcification process of the T3 vertebra was now well underway.

However Iannone’s doctor has advised him to continue with his rehabilitation and to wait a few more days until the fracture has completely healed, before going out onto the track once again.

The move will further call into question the decision of the MotoGP medical team to pass the Italian fit for his home race, however, He was originally given the all-clear before the circuit doctor, who has the ability to override the permanent team, used his veto to prevent the Ducati rider from racing.