Honda rider Alex Rins looks back on the “most difficult months” of his career and admits he couldn’t bear to watch the MotoGP races on TV
LCR Honda rider Alex Rins celebrates his comeback at the MotoGP season finale in Valencia. After two failed comeback attempts at the overseas races, Rins now feels fit enough to get through the weekend and, more importantly, to ride his new workhorse, the Yamaha M1, in the post-season test.
The fractured tibia and fibula that Rins suffered in the sprint to the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello caused a month-long forced break. Most recently, Honda WSBK rider Iker Lecuona sat on the RC213V – with limited success. Rins is eagerly awaiting his MotoGP comeback in Valencia, where he emerged victorious a year ago.
“Some people have asked me why I haven’t been on the bike for so long and why I’ve missed so many races,” Rins comments to MotoGP.com. “Then I explain the situation to them. My shin was completely destroyed. The bone had literally exploded. When I show pictures, people understand the situation. It was not a harmless fracture. “
MotoGP on TV was hard to take for Alex Rins
The role of spectator was not easy for Rins. “It was very difficult, I turned off the TV. I was sitting on the sofa with ice on my knee or doing therapy. I asked myself what I was doing. That’s why I turned off the TV. It was tough,” he looks back.
“I’m doing well again now,” says the Spaniard happily. “It was a tough few months, the most difficult in my career. It originally happened in June. My tibia and fibula were broken. It was a really tough time. Month by month it got better. “
The injury was also a big problem in everyday life
It wasn’t just riding a MotoGP bike that caused Rins problems. Everyday life also presented many challenges. “In the summer, I found it difficult to stand stable in the sea. I felt a lot of pain. I also felt the same at home. I put my son in the baby carriage. When we went for a walk in the mountains, I felt every stone on the ground,” he reports.
“It was really hard because I also missed a lot of races. It made me a bit nervous. I was at home and had to recover. But I’m happy to be here in Valencia now. We already tried it a month ago in Mandalika and later on Friday on Phillip Island,” Rins recalls the failed comeback attempts.
The second attempt in Australia was followed by another operation in Madrid, which helped to improve the situation. “I felt much better after that. I was able to leave the hospital on my own two feet and that was really good news,” said Rins.
Positive Superbike test in Barcelona provides relief
A superbike test in Barcelona provided relief. “Last Wednesday, I got on a motorcycle again. I rode a 1,000cc bike and the feeling was really good. These bikes are much heavier than the MotoGP bikes. I felt really good from the second lap and was able to control the bike well. That was good news for me and my team,” reported the Honda rider.
The latest X-ray examinations confirmed the positive development. However, last year’s winner Rins does not have any big goals: “I’m not here to win the race. Of course I would love to do that. But it’s not possible in my condition. I see it as training to adapt. Fortunately, we have a test on Tuesday.”
This test is an important foretaste of the 2024 MotoGP season, when Rins will ride for the Yamaha factory team as team-mate of former champion Fabio Quartararo and take over from Franco Morbidelli. Rins’ place at LCR-Honda will be taken by Johann Zarco, who is moving from Pramac-Ducati to the Honda satellite team.
