Lorenzo to miss Barcelona race

The 21-year-old was knocked unconscious after falling 10 minutes into second practice at Barcelona, and was airlifted to the University Institut Dexeus hospital in Barcelona.

He fell awkwardly at Turn 11 and his head struck the ground as he tumbled into the gravel trap at approximately 80mph. He appeared dazed when he recovered consciousness at the scene and was unable to get to his feet. He was then taken to the circuit's medical centre where he underwent X-rays.

Lorenzo received a precautionary scan at the hospital, which revealed a severe concussion. Doctor Xavier Mir subesquently stated that the Yamaha rider will remain in hospital for 48 hours, and will therefore miss racing on Sunday.

"I can confirm that Lorenzo will not be able to compete this weekend after the tests done here at the Institut Dexeus," said Dr Mir.

"He suffered head trauma and lost consciousness," he added. "We made a neurological examination with a CAT scan and an MRI scan and from this we can confirm that there is no cranial haemotoma or haemorrage. However, he now needs to stay under observation for between 48 and 72 hours to see how this develops.

"He [also] sustained an injury to the 4th and 5th finger on the right hand, where he has lost some skin. He also has an abrasion of the extensor tendon. We need to see how this develops but it could be possible that he needs a small skin graft."

Lorenzo's FIAT Yamaha team boss Daniele Romagnoli added: "It's clear that the luck is not with him at the moment. He's avoided any further injury to his ankles, but the head injury means that he must undergo a period of rest and not take any further risks.

"We are very disappointed for Jorge, but the important thing now is that he has some rest and takes time to recover properly."

The Portuguese Grand Prix winner has been riding with fractures to his right lower leg and ankle since an accident in China last month, and has crashed at each of the three events since.

It was initially feared that Lorenzo might have caused further damage to his injured right leg in the crash and, with the concussion as well, it's unknown when he will be fit enough to return to action.

The MotoGP rookie had already ruled himself out of the title fight when he slipped to 28 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi following his crash in the race at Mugello last weekend.