‘Short circuit’ caused Miguel Oliveira's Mandalika highside

Miguel Oliveira has revealed that a ‘short circuit’ caused the traction control failure that left him with a broken wrist in Friday practice for September's Indonesian MotoGP.

The injury required surgery and meant Oliveira missed the following five rounds, returning for a Trackhouse Aprilia farewell at the Barcelona finale.

“The crash was bad luck,” Oliveira said during a media event for sponsor Estrella Galicia 0,0.

“There was a short circuit in the bike [ECU] control unit. That made me lose all the [traction] control systems and I ended up crashing over the handlebars.

“When you crash like that, injuries are a matter of luck. It's a very tricky kind of crash. It can be unlucky If you hit the handlebars or land too hard on the tarmac.

“However, I was back home quickly, had the surgery and everything went well. Now I'm fully recovered.”

Having also been injured at the start and finish of 2023, the five-time KTM MotoGP race winner never got to complete an uninterrupted campaign on the Aprilia.

“It's been two years in which I've been struggling a lot, both technical and physical sides,” he said. “We never ended up achieving what we had set ourselves as a goal.

“It's been a difficult two years in my MotoGP career, but I think this, in the end, will make me a stronger and more complete rider.

“I've been able to adapt to a bike that was very different to what I was used to and I've also been taking steps forward in my riding style, so I think it's something that will be good for me in the future.”

The 29-year-old now joins the new Pramac Yamaha project for 2025, making his M1 debut at November's Barcelona test.

“It was a very nice day,” said Oliveira, who set the 17th fastest lap time. “Actually, it was more a day of arriving and getting to know the bike and the team very quickly, because we didn't really have time to sit down and work a lot.

“Firstly, because the team was coming from a world championship celebration, and secondly, because they were getting new bikes. We had a lot of help from Yamaha throughout the day to make the transition from one bike to another.

“Technically, we couldn't go too deep because it was all new, but I had a lot of fun.

“It was clear that the bike needs to improve, but I really felt good and that left me very happy and motivated for next test. We are all looking forward to the next one.”

Due to its D concession ranking, Oliveira and the other Yamaha race riders will be eligible to take part in the Sepang Shakedown test, before February’s Official test.