MotoGP Jerez test: James Toseland bounces back to claim sixth

James Toseland shrugged off the pain of a badly twisted right ankle to clock the sixth fastest time on the final day of testing in Jerez.

In blustery conditions, Toseland escaped injury on only his second lap when he high-side his Tech 3 Yamaha at the first corner.

• Get all the latest from the Jerez test here

Two X-rays revealed no broken bones and after a rest the double World Superbike champion was back on track to post a best lap of 1.39.727 on a Michelin qualifying tyre.

That was 0.1s ahead of reigning world champion Casey Stoner – who also crashed unhurt this afternoon – and just 0.159s outside of Valentino Rossi’s best time.

Toseland said:  “It was a bit of a freak accident and nothing I could have done about it. It all happened very fast but luckily I only twisted my ankle when I got caught up with the bike.

“It was on my first lap out of the pits and I just got caught out. Whether it was the track conditions or not, I was just tipping in and the rear end came round.  I wanted to get back out there and it was nice to get to those times again.

“I didn’t want to leave on a bad note. It was nice that even with a few problems like my ankle that I can still end up in the top six. I’d been in the top five in the wet and dry and to finish off in 14th I’d have been a bit deflated.

“But even with my ankle it was good to still be doing some competitive times. What’s nice is I feel progress at every test I have done. I have been consistently quick here and in the dry and the wet which was encouraging, especially in the wet.

“If I carry on working in this direction hopefully we can raise a few eyebrows. Everybody has been pretty encouraged and I think this is a great team and my guys are why I have been able to progress so quickly. It is down to their experience.

“I’ll rest my ankle for a couple of days now and be ready for Qatar, which I’m looking forward to as it is another track I know well.”

For a full report on Toseland’s Jerez test, see Wednesday’s MCN.