Guintoli out until Misano

The PATA Yamaha team could find themselves without either of their usual riders at Donington Park next weekend after it has been confirmed that Sylvain Guintoli will be out of action until at least Misano.

The Frenchman sustained a broken left ankle in a qualifying crash at Imola and after missing the last round in Malaysa, he is now set to miss the sole British round of the series at Donington Park.

Matters became worse for the Dorset-based squad as their other rider, Alex Lowes suffered a broken collarbone in the second race in Sepang last weekend and could also be a non-starter at their home round.

Lowes is thought to have undergone surgery on the collarbone earlier this week and is yet to decide if he’ll at least try to ride next weekend. Nevertheless, the team are expected to draft in at least one replacement rider for the British round.

“Unfortunately the recovery is going to take me a little longer than I had originally hoped but I the aim is to be fit in time for Misano,” said Guintoli. “It was such a massive crash that the landing took more out of me than first realised but it’s all on the mend now! They have inserted some screws into my ankle, which is a shame because I have been metal free for quite a while! The surgery was completely successful and it’s just about recovery time and working to get myself back to 100% fitness again.”