The Sepang tests should have marked Dani Pedrosa's first outing on the KTM since becoming test rider. Destiny had other plans for him though and a double fracture of his right collarbone kept the Spaniard far from the track.

Rather than flying to Malaysia, Dani headed to the operating theatre, where doctors Soler and Orozco carried out reconstruction surgery. Specifically, they stabilised the fracture with a plate and screws, and introduced 40 million autologous stem cells.

Pedrosa now faces a period of convalescence under medical supervision. Doctors predict a recovery time of roughly three months.

The rider appeared optimistic after surgery: “right now, my mind is on getting over this so that I can continue to work on development of the KTM. I am very sorry I was unable to take part in the Malaysian test, but I have followed work at the track very closely. I hope to be back with them soon”.