Johann Zarco has spoken about what he calls a "miraculous" recovery from his horrific first-corner crash at the Catalan Grand Prix in May.
The Frenchman is back in serious training ahead of a return to MotoGP action that may come even sooner than the initial September target.
Speaking to Canal+ ahead of the recent German GP, Zarco said that two of his three torn knee ligaments were recovering astoundingly well, meaning surgery was not necessary.
"Two of them have recovered and are healing very, very well," he enthused. "It's a bit of a miracle."
He also explained that the nature of motorcycle racing helped in terms of avoiding an operation.
"I'm not a soccer player, I'm not a skier. The stresses on the knee are different when riding a motorcycle.
"If they had told me I still needed surgery– wait, then have surgery, and wait some more – well, it’s clear the season would have been completely ruined. So I'm really happy.
"I'm doing OK because I'm already moving ‘normally’ again and I can start training again. It breathes new life into an athlete when he can get back to training; he feels alive again. And those are the things that make me feel OK.
"I’ll start training on the bike again, but I think I’ll probably do that in early August or mid-August, just to get the feel back and test myself a little. I don’t want to come back just to go all out – that's not the idea – but to come back in good shape and full of confidence."
Going by Zarco's own timeline, then, returning to the MotoGP grid for the British Grand Prix in early August isn't on the cards. But the Aragon Grand Prix on the final weekend of that month may be an option.
Whenever the 35-year-old does rejoin the fray, he will be greeted by a double long-lap penalty in his first grand prix. The decision to punish him for causing the incident in which he was injured was announced on the Thursday of the German GP, following a video call hearing with the MotoGP stewards.
In the same Canal+ interview, Zarco admitted that his biggest mistake was taking the second start at all, given that he had been caught up in the earlier accident involving Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez.
"When Alex Marquez crashed, a piece of debris hit my foot, so I pulled into the pits, and took off my boot before taking off my helmet," he added.
"My foot was bruised. I’m angry at myself for going back out because I should have stayed in the pits. It’s great to have survived by a miracle, but it’s also good to realise that it could have been avoided."
German GP in photos - Sunday
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
German GP - Sunday, in photos
