Le Mans MotoGP: Sete Gibernau breaks left collarbone

Spaniard Sete Gibernau is facing a desperate battle to be fit for his home race in Catalunya next month after breaking his left collarbone in a practice crash at Le Mans this morning.

In cold conditions, the nine-times MotoGP winner high-sided his Ducati GP9 machine at the Chemin aux Boeufs chicane.

The former MotoGP runner-up landed heavily on his left shoulder and medical checks later confirmed he’d broken his left collarbone for third time since 2006.

He was due to fly out of France back to Barcelona today for another operation on the shoulder, which was severely weakened by two fractures in 2006. Gibernau will undergo surgery to remove an old plate and have a new one inserted to stabilise the injury.

The first time he broke the left collarbone was in the infamous first corner pile-up at the Catalunya GP in 2006. He later broke it again in the same season at the Estoril GP in Portugal and following that crash he announced his retirement from racing.

Gibernau had already experienced problems with his shoulder earlier this year after announcing he was returning to the premier class at the end of 2008. He was forced to miss the Qatar night test after he aggravated the old injury during training.

Fellow Ducati rider Mika Kallio crashed in exactly the same circumstances minutes later with light rain spots falling, but the Finn was able to walk away uninjured.

American Colin Edwards topped the timesheets in this morning’s second practice session.