Fermín Aldeguer thinks he will return after summer break following his Assen crash

Fermin Aldeguer says he will not race for a while after breaking a bone in his back during practice at the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix in Assen.

The crash happened at Turn 11 during Friday practice at Assen. He fell at high speed, hit the ground hard, and rolled several times in the gravel. He was badly shaken and had many bruises all over his body.

Doctors found that he broke a bone in his upper back called the T7 vertebra. This is one of the bones in the middle part of the spine. This kind of injury can hurt a lot and usually needs several weeks to heal because the spine must stay stable while the bone repairs itself.

He also has pain in his left leg from an earlier injury he got in January. In that injury, doctors put a metal rod about 30 centimetres long into his leg. That leg was not made worse by this crash, but it still gives him some discomfort.

Aldeguer said the pain is under control and not too severe. He feels stiff and sore all over his body, which is normal after a big crash like this. He explained that most of the impact went through his neck and back when he slid and rolled in the gravel.

He said the crash could have been much worse, but he was lucky it only caused this injury. Watching the footage made him realise how serious it was.

After the crash, he stayed at Assen instead of travelling home. He said this was easier because the doctors and physiotherapists were already there, and they could continue checking his condition and medication. His physio also helped him start early rehabilitation.

Gresini Racing staff and doctors have told him to be patient. They have not given an exact return date yet, but Aldeguer says he must rest and only come back when doctors allow it.

He expects to be out for at least four weeks. This means he will miss races until after the summer break.

In MotoGP, riders often need time to recover from spine fractures because even small movements can slow healing. Rest is important so the bone can mend properly and safely.

The MotoGP calendar continues with races at Sachsenring in Germany on 5 July, then a summer break follows. After that, there will be two races in August: the British Grand Prix on 9 August and the Aragon round on 30 August. MotoGP then continues its season after the break as usual.