Update 12/04: ‘Tati’ has been operated on successfully this week in Barcelona by Dr. Jordi Font, confirmed by the rider himself on Twitter. Now Mercado starts his road to recovery, which the Argentinean hopes will lead him back onto the tarmac for the Pirelli Italian Round in May.

Jose Calero, Orelac Racing VerdNatura team owner, had this to say today at the Dutch Round: “The operation went well. The doctors initially thought that they would need to remove an existing screw from an old scaphoid injury, but that wasn’t necessary. He’s had another screw inserted and the operation went brilliantly. In 10-15 days, he’ll return for an examination, and if everything’s ok he’ll begin rehab. The doctors have said that he should be just about ok to ride in a month. ‘Tati’ is very strong and motivated, he wants to be back for Imola and we’ll try to have him there.”

Finally, the injury that ruled out Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) from the final races of the Motocard Aragon Round will require a visit to the operating table, as the Argentinean rider prepares to go under the knife on Wednesday to fix a scaphoid fracture of the left wrist.

Mercado will be in the good hands of Dr. Jordi Font, at the Tres Torres medical clinic in Barcelona, when he undergoes surgery tomorrow. The estimated recovery period for this kind of injury is one month, which sadly means that the 27-year-old will have to miss this week’s Motul Dutch Round. The upcoming Pirelli Italian Round, scheduled for mid-May at Imola, will be marked in red on the Spanish team’s calendar.

The injury occurred inside the opening lap of Race 1 from the Motocard Aragon Round, when Mercado was launched from his bike after an unfortunate incident with another rider.

The Argentinian rider now begins the road to recovery, which hopefully will see him return to action in Italy: “I can’t do anything but focus entirely on my rehab. It will be impossible to be at Assen, so the goal is to return at Imola. We’ll work hard to be at 100%. It’s tough but it can happen in this sport. The important thing is to make sure I can recover properly and not have any issues in the future. I have the support of my team, as well as the fans. I appreciate it a lot and it helps me to get through these moments. Now, to get better and return at 100%!”

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