Saturday was certainly a day six-time Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi would like to forget as soon as possible.
The 31-year-old will miss out on going for a third championship in a row after breaking his leg during a practice session ahead of his home Italian Grand Prix.
Rossi has already successfully undergone surgery on his fractured right shinbone in Florence, but may not be able to participate further in the 2010 campaign, which is entering its fourth race of the season.
The man known as The Doctor could be out for up to 6 months in total, meaning the season, in which he is currently second, might be over for him.
This year's overall leader Jorge Lorenzo, meanwhile, missed out on pole for the upcoming Italian event, after Dani Pedrosa produced a late surge.