JOAN MIR TO MISS THE GP OF GREAT BRITAIN

* The rider will not take risks and will focus on full recovery for the next GP.

* Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Test Rider Sylvain Guintoli will replace him at Silverstone.

Joan Mir will not participate in the forthcoming Grand Prix of Great Britain which will take place this Sunday, August 25, at the Silverstone circuit. The Spanish rider suffered an accident at the last test in Brno which forced him to miss the Austrian GP and have a two-week long period of convalescence.

His presence in England has now been ruled out as he was not able to recover 100% from the pulmonary contusion he suffered, as well as a feeling of general weakness due to lack of training since the accident.

This decision has been taken between the rider, the doctors from the Internal Medicine team at the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona lead by Ángel Charte (Medical Director of the MotoGP World Championship), and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. A new series of checks at the hospital, including a round of radiological tests, were carried out to determine the level of involvement of the afflicted lung.

Although the tests were positive and Mir’s general health is quite good, doctors, as a precaution, advised the rider not to hurry back whilst still in the recovery stages, and to instead start training normally to improve his physical condition and thus be able to attend the next Grand Prix in better physical condition.

Following an assessment of Mir’s physical situation, Dr. Angel Charte said: “After the tests we have done we detected some remaining residues in the lung, and for safety reasons we think the best thing is that he does not return yet, and he first recovers to 100%”.

From now on he will return to his normal activity at home, where he can begin active rehabilitation. “Now he must recover lung capacity and strengthen his overall condition after several weeks of inactivity. To do this he can start walking, running, doing some exercises in the mountains, and some limited motorcycle riding in moderation”, adds the doctor.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR will replace the Mallorcan rider with Test Rider Sylvain Guintoli, who is currently completing an official test at the Finnish circuit of Kymiring near Kouvola.

Davide Brivio:

“It’s a big pity that Joan has to miss the Silverstone race as well, but we feel that it is very important for him to recover fully and get back to being 100% fit. After having discussed with the doctors following his checks today we took the decision together that he will miss the Grand Prix of Great Britain and instead get back on the bike next week. The Misano test will be a great opportunity for him to check his physical condition and get back on the bike in a calm manner so he can regain the ‘MotoGP feeling’. This test will also be a golden opportunity to prepare for the next GP, and then hopefully for the Misano race weekend we will have Joan at 100% fitness and ready to restart his season. For this reason, our test rider, Sylvain Guintoli, currently testing in Finland, will replace Joan and we will try to use this weekend to get very valuable information.”

Joan Mir:

“In the end I am not able to be in Silverstone for the next race and it is a real pity, but that’s how things are, and the first priority has to be my health. After the accident I spent several weeks resting, first in the hospital and then at home. I have started to walk, but after the tests it seems that I am still not 100%, so the doctors have determined that it is better to continue with my rehabilitation. I will start doing some more training so I can get to the next race in better physical shape and not have to take too many risks. I would like to thank the people who are beside me and taking care of me, my Suzuki team for their concern and the thousands of fans who have encouraged me during all these days and who have shown me an enormous affection. See you soon!”