Image: Supplied.

Fantic Factory Racing MXGP Team’s Alberto Forato sustained a fractured shoulder blade during Saturday’s qualification race at Foxhills, requiring corrective surgery to repair the injury.

The 26-year-old Italian was sixth fastest in timed practice at the MXGP of Great Britain before crashing moments after the gate dropped on Saturday, bringing a premature end to his weekend. Initial X-rays at the circuit confirmed a fractured scapula.

Forato returned to Belgium on Sunday, where he underwent successful surgery, with the recovery process set to sideline him for the upcoming rounds of the MXGP World Championship.

“Recap of the last 48 hours – on Saturday, during the qualifying heat, I found myself catapulted to the ground in the first corner after the start,” said Forato. “After the first X-rays at the medical center, I immediately returned to Belgium, where I underwent surgery yesterday for a fractured scapula.

“I had just started feeling better after the infection, and the weekend had started very well, but that’s motocross – my recovery begins today.”

In his first season with the factory Fantic program, Forato sits 12th in the MXGP standings, with a pair of sixth-overall finishes in Sardegna and Germany marking his best results of the year. No timeline has been provided for his return to racing.