After two seasons free of injury and being able to re-assert his speed and position as one of Belgium’s best off-road racers, factory Suzuki man Kevin Strijbos has been hit by another set-back. The former double MX1 FIM World Championship runner-up crashed yesterday (Tuesday) while training at the sandy circuit of Lommel in his native country when he hit a downed motorcycle on a landing of a jump. The 28 year old smashed his hip on the handlebars and was taken to the Herentals Hospital where scans revealed part of his pelvis had broken.
The accident means that Strijbos will face a four week lay-off and will miss further training and tests with the factory Rockstar Energy RM-Z450. If recovery goes smoothly then the Belgian will be fit and ready for the first Grand Prix of the season at Losail in Qatar on March 1st. “Obviously I’m pretty gutted about this,” he said. “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.”
The news is hardly ideal for the Belgian team headed by Sylvain Geboers. Clement Desalle has yet to ride his Suzuki in anger after left shoulder surgery in the wake of the Motocross of Nations at the end of last September and with Strijbos now also on the sidelines activity for the works outfit will decline significantly. Strijbos was beset with injury problems at the end of the last decade and resurrected his career essentially as a privateer in 2012 when he gained three MX1 podiums and won the British Championship with HM Plant KTM. He rejoined Suzuki for 2013 and finished the season with a decent fourth place in the last MX1 championship.
Photo by Ray Archer
