New photographs have shown Tito Rabat taking his first steps just a day after surgery for the triple break which he suffered in practice at the British MotoGP.
Italian television rights holder Sky Sport published the photos online, reportedly taken by the Spaniard’s father, which show him walking with the assistance of a frame.
According to the Sky Sport tweet (below), the images were captured within 24 hours of the operation for injuries sustained when the 29-year-old was hit by an out of control motorcycle.
The Avintia Ducati rider crashed, Alex Rins jumped from his Suzuki as it aquaplaned at 160km/h, and both Aleix Espargaro and Jorge Lorenzo ran off, with the former coming to a stop at the end of the gravel trap and the latter riding on.
While Rabat was attempting to walk to safety, he was taken out by Franco Morbidelli’s Honda when the Marc VDS rider also lost control.
“I saw Tito, but he was on his back. I screamed at him and I made gestures, but he could not move,” recounted Rins on Saturday.
“I saw that Morbidelli was also losing control. I could not prevent his bike from hitting Rabat’s leg and throwing him two or three metre away. It was a brutal impact.”
Rabat was airlifted to University Hospital Coventry where he underwent what Reale Avintia Racing described as “successful” surgery for fractures to his femur, tibia, and fibula.
Tantissimi i messaggi da colleghi e tifosi
per @TitoRabat 🔜🏍
Il pilota del @realeavintia era già
in piedi ieri, a meno di 24 ore dall’operazione
per la rottura di tibia, perone e femore 💪🇪🇸#SkyMotori pic.twitter.com/07GQim9yq1— Sky Sport MotoGP™ (@SkySportMotoGP) August 27, 2018
While the warm up took place in dry conditions, the race was ultimately cancelled after a delay of over five hours due to rain and standing water.
The next round is the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano on September 7-9.
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