Racing fans all over the world are surely eager to hop back in on the action of the MotoGP for the 2023 season. There have been quite a few developments in the racing series, and the opening race in Portimao will be the first trial by fire of the riders and teams for the 2023 season. Indeed, testing has been ongoing, but it hasn't been going smoothly for everyone, especially for Aprilia racer Aleix Espargaro.
March 11 and 12, 2023 was when the MotoGP testing in the Portimao circuit took place. However, on the final day of testing, Aleix Espargaro had to enter the pits early and cut his day short. Ever since the start of the weekend, Espargaro said that he wasn't feeling his best, and Sunday's sessions cemented that fact. The Spaniard confirmed that he was suffering from Fibrosis in his right arm, resulting in lack of strength especially when it comes to braking.
Fibrosis is a condition in which tissues in the body scar and stiffen as a result of prolonged inflammation, injury, or damage to cells or tissues. Fibrosis is characterized by an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, in the afflicted tissue, which leads to the formation of scar tissue. This can trigger the tissue to lose its usual function – in the case of Aleix Espargaro, numbness and weakness in his right arm.
Following the testing session, Espargaro stated that he would be heading to the Dexeus Hospital in Spain to undergo additional tests and determine the appropriate course of action moving forward. Chances are that the Spanish rider will have to undergo surgery in order to be fit to race in the opening event scheduled from March 24 to 26, 2023. When describing what he was feeling during testing, Espargaro stated, "You can see a big inflammation that is pulling the muscle, the feeling is not that of having an arm pump. From the beginning I have no strength. This arm is completely...asleep. It's a bit frustrating."
As for the surgery involved, Espargaro said, "It looks like they have to open it, clean it and close it again. It's not a dramatic surgery, but tomorrow at eight in the morning I'm going to be at Dexeus to do more tests and see how we're going to proceed."
