After feasting on Repsol Honda for the first four rounds of the 2015 season, MotoGP’s->ke2192 injury bug has moved on to Ducati->ke622, specifically to Andrea Iannone, who reportedly suffered a dislocated left shoulder after crashing his bike in a test session at Mugello over the weekend.

Fortunately, the injury doesn’t appear to be serious enough that it would force Iannone to miss the Le Mans Grand Prix of France on May 17, 2015. Still, Iannone and Ducati are being extra cautious about the injury and rightfully so. The rider is expected to receive treatment for the injured shoulder with the hope that Iannone can still suit up for the start of the French GP.

If Iannone’s dislocated shoulder ends up being worse than its being reported, it would be a major setback for Ducati, which has found itself in the thick of the championship race after stellar performances in the first four races of the season. Iannone’s teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, sits in second place in the rider’s standings with 67 points and Iannone himself is in fifth place with 50 points, six points behind reigning world champion Marc Marquez.

Together, the two riders have led Ducati to third place in the manufacturers’ standings with 70 points, two points behind Honda and 21 behind season-leader Yamaha.

Ducati is still optimistic that Iannone can suit up for the race, but it didn’t want to have to deal with this injury so close to the race and with so much left to play for.

Continue reading to read more about Andrea Iannone's dislocated shoulder.

Why it matters

For reasons that I've already mentioned, Ducati can't afford to lose Andrea Iannone at this point in the season. We’ve already seen what happens when substitute riders fill in for the regulars of the contending teams - I see you, Hiroshi Aoyama - and it hasn’t been pretty.

As a fan, I don’t want to see injuries play a big role in deciding the championship picture. Far too often, these types of things have sullied exciting championship races and I hope that it doesn’t happen in this year’s title race. We’ve got a good one hear in case you haven’t paid much attention to the first four races of the year so let’s hope that Iannone won’t miss any time and for that matter, let’s also hope that Dani Pedrosa can return soon enough to give Marquez some much-needed help that his substitute, the much-maligned Aoyama, hasn’t provided in any of the three races he’s been in.

Get better soon, Andrea Iannone. Same goes to you, Dani Pedrosa. Yamaha's currently running away with both titles and yet, we all know that MotoGP would be a lot more exciting if the three teams' regular riders are all fully healthy and competing at the highest level.