WEEK OF REST FOR VAN DER MARK
The Honda World Superbike Team completed a three-day test at Circuito de Jerez in readiness for the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship. This was the last outing of the year for the Dutch-based outfit before the start of the testing ban, which will mean the WorldSBK teams have to stop their track activities until early January. 2014 World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark had to pull out from the test after the first day of action due to pain in his right forearm.
Initial medical examinations performed at the Stuivenberg Hospital in Antwerp, Belgium, by Dr Geert Peersman, reported an overstressed muscle, with the presence of fluid, which was aggravated by the cold conditions encountered in MotorLand Aragón early last week. The 23-year-old Dutchman has received an initial treatment and will now take a week of complete rest before a further evaluation of his condition takes place.
Michael van der Mark: “I’m very disappointed that I could not make the most of this test, as the severe pain in my right forearm didn’t allow me to continue riding. It’s a shame because this was a great chance for us to keep working on the bike before the winter break, especially given the perfect weather conditions we encountered. We still need a week to fully understand what we need to do but it looks like it’s a small issue that can be solved quite quickly. There is nothing I can do now, I just need to wait and be ready for January.”