One of the most promising riders in the MX2 category, Kemea Yamaha Racing’s Brent Van Doninck will find out early this week if his debut term in the FIM Motocross World Championship is over.
The rookie damaged ligaments in his right knee during qualification for the British Grand Prix last week and while not completely ruptured, Van Doninck will have to make a decision over corrective surgery that will mean a minimum of four months in rehab.
“We had an MRI and the ligament is not completely broken,” explained Team Manager and former GP rider Marnicq Bervoets.
“We are going to go for a second opinion this week because this is crucial for his future. Maybe he can ride at 80 per cent and be top 15 and not taking the results he wants but I don’t want him making the knee worse for the future because he is too young. We want to be sure so we’ll have a look and make a decision on Monday.”
Van Doninick has shone since swapping roles with Damon Graulus after the second Grand Prix of 2015. The Belgian scored a ninth position in his very first moto in Argentina and then was ninth overall at round four in Italy. He made the top seven on the hard-pack of Talavera in Spain.
Graulus meanwhile is vying for the EMX250 Championship and stepped in to cover for his friend and countryman at Villars sous Ecot in France last weekend.
If Van Doninck choses to fix his knee then Graulus is likely to be riding the YRRD YZ250F in MX2 when not on EMX250 duty but for ‘BVD’ there is still the fear that losing over half of the 2015 GP season will affect his chance of remaining part of the Kemea crew for 2016.
Bervoets insists that the Belgian set-up, owned by Hans Covers, could not be more impressed with the impact the articulate youngster has had at the highest level. “We’re really happy and we made the right choice to bring him into MX2,” he said.
“The biggest surprise was in Spain because those types of tracks are very difficult for him. He made a seventh in the first moto and I was surprised. I think he can be very good in the future.”
