Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

West Honda Pons MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi will miss the British Grand Prix July 12-14 and is in doubt for the MotoGP event at Sachsenring July 19-21 after suffering broken bones in a crash in the MotoGP race at Assen June 29, says a release from West Honda Pons.

According to the team, Capirossi suffered a “double-fracture in his right forearm” as the Italian rider tried to hold on to his bucking NSR500 while racing with the lead pack last Saturday. Capriossi was third in the MotoGP World Championship point standings before the Assen race and now slips to sixth.

On a happier note, Capirossi’s teammate Alex Barros took a battling second place in the Dutch Grand Prix, his first podium finish of the 2002 season, and moves into fifth in the Championship standings, one point behind Carlos Checa.