Valentino Rossi has checked himself out of hospital in defiance of doctor’s advice to continue his recovery from concussion in his own motorhome.

The 35-year-old Yamaha rider, nine-times a world champion in all categories, was taken to hospital after falling heavily early in Sunday’s race at the Motorland Aragon circuit won by Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi tweeted a picture of himself saying he was fine apart from the “head ache”.

“Valentino is progressing very well. In Alcaniz the CT scan was negative and although the local doctor wanted to keep him at the hospital overnight, Valentino discharged himself,” MotoGP medical director Michele Zasa said in a statement issued by Yamaha.

“Now he’s in his motorhome relaxing, and in any case the Clinica Mobile is keeping him under observation for the whole night.

“From a neurological point of view he has fully recovered and at the moment he’s fine so we’ll keep on taking care of him overnight and hopefully by tomorrow morning everything is going to be ok.”

With four races remaining this year, Italian Rossi is battling Honda rider Dani Pedrosa for second place in the world championship led by runaway leader Marc Marquez.

The next stop in the champion-ship is in Japan in two weeks.

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