Twisted ankle for Vlaanderen – out for Trentino

At the fourth round of the 2019 MX2 world championship, Team HRC rider Calvin Vlaanderen posted the fastest lap of timed practice in this highly competitive field. However, a few corners from the end of his hotlap, he twisted his right ankle and although he continue until the finish line, he was forced back to the truck immediately after he has crossed the line.

With first gate pick for the qualification race, Vlaanderen tried to see if he could manage to race, but the pain was too much and he was forced to withdraw after less than a lap.

Calvin Vlaanderen 10
At the beginning of the day, I was feeling good on the Honda CRF250RW and was riding well on the track. I had first gate pick in the qualifying race, after posting the fastest lap in timed practice so it seemed like things were going well. However during that lap, a few corners from the end, I twisted my ankle quite badly, so I tried to make it to the finish line. After crossing the line, I came back immediately to the truck to try and get it fixed up ready for the qualifying race but it was still quite painful. I tried to race but every bump and every impact was creating pain so I pulled off the track.

Upon getting it checked out at the medical centre, I found out that I have a small crack in the fibula and a badly sprained ankle. After getting a second opinion from my doctor, the advice was to get surgery done straight away, in order to try and be ready for the next round in Mantova in five weeks’ time. It is obviously disappointing news but I am confident it will go well and I can come back fit and healthy for round five of the MX2 championship.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
It is hugely disappointing for Calvin and the whole team today. He was riding so well in practice and he had just posted the fastest lap in timed practice, so everyone was really happy with how things were going. It was especially good, because we’d had a positive week training here in Italy, making progress with a lot of things which we felt would help him achieve victory here.

Words: Honda