Dani Pedrosa to undergo shoulder surgery

Dani Pedrosa has suffered a fresh injury nightmare having been told the on-going left shoulder problem he suffered last October requires further surgery.

The Repsol Honda rider suffered a recurrence of a numbness issue in his left hand and arm during the season’s opening race in Qatar earlier this month where he finished third behind Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo.

The problem is a legacy of the big practice crash he suffered during the Japanese Grand Prix last October when a throttle failure left him with a serious shoulder injury.

And further medical examinations taken after Qatar revealed the triple world champion requires surgery immediately after this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP clash at the Jerez circuit.

After several medical tests by Dr. Eusebio Sala Planell, a specialist in vascular surgery, Pedrosa has been diagnosed with intermittent compression of the subclavian artery, causing numbness and lack of strength in his left arm.

In the operation due to take place next week, the titanium plate and screws inserted back in October will be taken out of the collarbone in order to release the compression pressure.

It is hoped Pedrosa will be fit return to action in the Estoril round in Portugal on May 3.

Pedrosa, whose MotoGP career has been blighted by a succession of injuries, said: “It’s never nice to have an operation, but we’ve had a lot of time searching for an answer to the effects of this injury and I’m relaxed because I finally know what has happened.”