I saw my foot disconnected from my leg says Rossi

The Fiat Yamaha rider suffered a compound fracture of his right shinbone when he came off his bike in practice for yesterday's Italian MotoGP at Mugello and spent two and a half hours in surgery after being transferred to hospital by helicopter. Rossi's attempt to retain his world title has been ended by the injury which could see him sidelined for four to five months, but the 31-year-old remains upbeat.

"I'm pretty good," he said yesterday. "I thank all those at Mugello, I saw the banners and all the drivers who remembered me.

"Do not worry, I'll come back soon.

"I was afraid, now it's a lot better. It will take time, the important thing is to return to 100 per cent. It was a bad fall, a bad injury, but it's going well because I've found that I have a great relationship with morphine."

A lynchpin with four screws was applied to the break during the procedure, which was performed at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence by Roberto Buzzi.

Rossi, who has been told to expect another week in hospital, has revealed he is set for a second operation today.

He continued: "The operation went well, Professor Buzzi worked well and looked after me as a family member.

"Monday, there will be another operation to close the wound, then we will think about rehabilitation.

"I knew immediately that I had injured myself, seeing the foot a bit disconnected from the leg was bad.

"I saw the incident (on a replay) and it was awful, but it was much more so seeing it from the bike.

"They were difficult times, there was fear, then it got better. I was sedated. When I woke up there were the nurses who comforted me."

His absence from yesterday's grand prix at Mugello marked the first time the Italian had missed a race in his MotoGP career.

Dani Pedrosa dominated the race as he led from pole to chequered flag to secure his first win of the season.

The Repsol Honda rider crossed the line four seconds ahead of championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, with Italian Andrea Dovizioso representing the host nation on the podium with a third-place finish.

But neither of them ever looked like touching Pedrosa, who made it into the first turn ahead of the field and quickly pulled away.

The result leaves Lorenzo on 90 points, still well clear of Pedrosa who has 65, and the injured Valentino Rossi, who has 61.

Dovizioso has moved up to fourth place with 58 points.