Motorcycling: Andrea Dovizioso should be fit for MotoGP season opener despite surgery

Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso suffered a left collarbone injury following a crash while competing in a motocross race at Faenza in northern Italy, on June 28, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS

Updated

Published

Jun 29, 2020, 05:47 PM

(REUTERS) - Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso is expected to be fit in time for the start of the 2020 MotoGP season next month despite needing surgery for a left collarbone injury, his team said on Monday (June 29).

The 34-year-old suffered the injury on Sunday following a crash while competing in a motocross race at Faenza in northern Italy. Ducati announced later in a tweet that Dovizioso was due to have the operation in Modena.

MotoGP said this month that it will resume the 2020 season stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic with back-to-back races at the Jerez circuit in Spain on July 19 and 26.

Five circuits will host double-headers and Spain will have seven races as part of the revised 13-round European calendar.

Italian Dovizioso finished runner-up behind Spaniard Marc Marquez of Honda in the 2019 season. It was the third straight year that he ended overall second.