Putrajaya, Malaysia - Spanish MotoGP rider Tito Rabat will return to Barcelona for surgery after breaking his hand in a crash during the first pre-season test at Sepang on Tuesday.
The 2014 Moto2 world champion, now a Honda privateer in the premier category, was taken to hospital in Putrajaya with a fractured right hand, a lacerated left knee and injuries to two toes on his left foot.
His huge crash in Turn 11 near the end of the rain-hit session brought out red flags at the circuit on the second day of testing.
His Marc VDS team said: "Rabat will return to Europe for treatment and rehabilitation in a bid to be fit for the next MotoGP test at Phillip Island in Australia, which starts on 15 February."
Italian rider Andrea Iannone was fastest overall for Suzuki, with Yamaha's Spanish rider Maverick Vinales second on the timesheets.
The 2017 MotoGP season will start in Qatar on 26 March