Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Kevin Strijbos is likely to face a four-week spell on the sidelines after breaking part of his pelvis bone as a result of a crash while training at Lommel in Belgium.
The 28 year old crested one of the smaller jumps around the former Grand Prix venue and could not avoid clipping a fallen rider’s motorcycle in the sand. Strijbos was taken to hospital complaining of hip pain.
The Belgian was examined by renowned sport surgeon Dr. Claes at the Herentals Hospital and scans revealed a small portion of his pelvis had broken away. Strijbos will now have to stop preparations for the upcoming 2014 FIM MXGP World Championship for a month to allow the injury to heal. He will miss-out on scheduled training and the team’s official photo-shoot in Spain but should be back on his bike before the first GP in Qatar on March 1.
“Obviously I’m pretty gutted about this,” said a disappointed Strijbos. “When I got to the face of the jump I saw someone waving but it was already too late to react and I landed with my front wheel just in front of the seat of the fallen bike. It’s a setback, and a shame, as my preparations were going really well. We had a super-good training week with the team in Portugal and everything was heading in the right direction. Sadly it is one of those things that is a part of our sport.”
