The reigning Enduro2 World Champion, who had topped both the E2 class and the overall EnduroGP category just one day previously, was in another close battle for victory on the second day of racing in Carpineti, Italy when he suffered a fall on one of the faster sections of the day’s final enduro test.
Given the all-clear to continue by the on-site medical staff, Garcia successfully completed the day’s racing, salvaging a commendable fifth-place result in Enduro2. However, after returning to the paddock, it was clear that the 25-year-old Spaniard had damaged his left hand in the incident, as well as incurring several cuts and bruises.
Today, Tuesday, June 28, Josep was operated on successfully by Dr. Xavier Mir – a Trauma specialist in hand, elbow, and microsurgery. In good spirits following the operation, Garcia will unfortunately miss the upcoming fourth round of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship – the GP of Portugal – but hopes to be back on his bike and training as soon as possible.
Everyone at KTM wishes Josep a speedy recovery.
Josep Garcia: “I ended up having a broken thumb which was displaced, I also had a big blow in the back of my hip which required two stiches, and my whole arm was kind of burned and grazed. Today I had surgery done to my thumb and it took one hour more or less, it wasn’t a long operation. The doctor said that everything went well. They put a plate in and some screws. Obviously, I won’t be fit to race in Portugal, so the goal is to come back for Slovakia. Anything can happen in the recovery process but if everything goes to plan I should be able to be there. Now I just want to concentrate on my recovery and being able to race again soon.”
Fabio Farioli – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager: “Obviously, it’s a great shame for Josep to have crashed out of the fight for the win on Sunday as he was riding incredibly well and pushing hard for the overall victory. The medical staff were excellent at the event – they checked him over at the scene and before each of the last two tests of the day. Finally, when we got back to the paddock at the end of the race, we could see he had damaged his hand and needed further checks. Thankfully, today’s surgery has gone well, and Josep is already recovering. Once he is back on his KTM we will form a plan for his return to racing. For now we wish him all the best with his recovery.”
