Elias to miss Mugello.

Toni Elias and the Fortuna Yamaha team have revealed that, following an operation to help heal injuries sustained during testing at Le Mans on Monday, the Spaniard will be forced to miss the next round of the MotoGP World Championship; the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, on June 5.

Elias crashed at a chicane just five-minutes before the end of testing on Monday, having set an impressive sixth fastest time. The MotoGP rookie fractured the radius and scaphoid in his left wrist, ruptured ligaments that link the triquetral bone to the radius and fractured the outside of his left fibula in the fall.

"We stayed on for an extra day of tests at Le Mans. Up to then things had been going really well - I was lapping in 1min 34secs, about a second faster than I had done in the race and only three-hundredths off Valentino's time," recalled Toni.

"It was a shame but that's racing. In any case I'm in good spirits and I'm already looking forward to getting back on the bike. I would like to thank my whole team in general for their constant support, my sponsors and particularly Doctor Xavier Mir," added Toni.

The former 250cc GP winner underwent an operation at the Institut Universitari Dexeus de Barcelona yesterday (Tuesday) where Doctor Xavier Mir inserted metalwork and repaired ligaments to accelerate Elias's recovery.

"Toni's operation was a case of fitting a titanium plate to his radius with a screw in his scaphoid, and the stitching of the ligaments that join the triquetral bone and the radius," revealed Doctor Mir.

"The recuperation period for a normal person is around eight weeks, although taking into account Toni's incredible capacity for recovery, I wouldn't rule out his return at the Grand Prix of Catalunya (on June 12)," he stated.

"I'm really sad about Toni El?as' injury," added Fortuna Yamaha team director Herve Poncharal. "Toni is demonstrating the massive potential he has and he had shown that once again on Sunday in the race. On Monday he was having a magnificent session when, unfortunately, he crashed.

"I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope that he can be back with us again soon. I would like to give my special thanks to Dr. Mir and all his team for everything they have done," added the Frenchman.

It is not yet known if Poncharal will field a replacement rider alongside Ruben Xaus at Mugello - although one of Herve's former riders, a certain Olivier Jacque, is currently without a ride... unless a new Kawasaki contract has already been signed.

Another former MotoGP rider who made a recent return but is now out of a ride is Jurgen van den Goorbergh, who substituted for the injured Makoto Tamada at the Chinese and French GPs - finishing sixth and fourteenth respectively for Konica Minolta Honda.