Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards suffered a broken collarbone during practice for the Catalan MotoGP round in Barcelona on Friday.

The fifth round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship ended in premature and painful fashion for Edwards after he was diagnosed with a broken right collarbone following a heavy crash in this afternoon’s second free practice session.

The opening day of action saw frequent rain showers dampen the Montmelo circuit and a cloudburst during the early 125cc practice session meant the second MotoGP session got underway on a damp track.

The track dried rapidly and with just over 15 minutes remaining, the field switched to slick tyres as lap times significantly improved with the better conditions.

Edwards had completed one run on slick rubber when he switched bikes and was on an out lap when he crashed at Turn Five.

He landed heavily and was immediately attended to by trackside marshals before being transferred to the Medical Centre, where further checks revealed he’d suffered a broken right collarbone.

“Unfortunately Colin has broken his right collarbone and this is a big shame for him and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team because we were confident he was going to be very strong and competitive this weekend,” team manager Herve Poncheral said.

“Colin has been superb so far this season and he has shown that even when the competition is probably stronger than ever in MotoGP, he is still one of the fastest out there.

“It looks like he paid a heavy price for a very small mistake. He landed heavily on his shoulder and it was clear from the TV pictures that he was in a lot of pain. He will have an operation tonight, so we should have a clearer idea of how long the recovery process will be later this weekend.

“The important thing now is that he rests and recovers as quickly as he possibly can. We wish him a fast recovery and hope that it is not too long before we see him back in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage.”

Edwards was later taken to the Dexeus Institute Hospital in Barcelona where he will undergo surgery performed by Dr Xavier Mir, who has previously treated Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo.