Pedrosa to undergo further surgery

The Honda rider had to abandon the second winter test after a violent high-side. Pedrosa's bike landed on him during the accident at Turn 10, causing further damage to the wrist he had broken in Germany last year, and the knee that had required winter surgery following a fall at Phillip Island.

Although medical checks at the circuit suggested that Pedrosa had not sustained any new broken bones, after flying back to Spain a further examination uncovered a fracture in his left radius bone.

A titanium screw will be inserted into this area during today's surgery, and he will also receive a small skin graft on his knee, where the previous surgery wound had reopened due to the Qatar incident.

After the accident Pedrosa and Honda were confident that he would be fit for the final test at Jerez on 28-29 March. Having pulled out of the final day at Sepang last month due to knee pain and sat out the weather-affected first night in Qatar, Pedrosa has only completed two and a half days of 2009 testing so far.