Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) will not take part in the second Official Test of the year in Phillip Island, after crashing in Malaysia at the first test of the year. Sustaining a number of fractures – all of which have healed in time for the second outing – Rabat also suffered soft tissue damage to his knee and it’s this injury that forces the Spaniard to wait a while longer before getting back on track.
Cleared of any initial risk of infection and working hard to return to action as soon as possible, Rabat will sit out until the next and final test in Qatar – when his knee should be more ready for the challenges of riding a MotoGP™ machine.
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal "Tito has worked hard to be fit for the Phillip Island test, after sustaining quite debilitating injuries in Malaysia. While the fractures have healed nicely and wouldn't have stopped him from riding in Australia, the knee injury is a different story altogether. Despite intensive physiotherapy he still doesn't have the necessary extension in the joint and he risks popping the stitches – with the associated danger of infection – if he participates in the Phillip Island test. This is why we made the decision together with Tito to give him more time to recover ahead of the Qatar test, rather than risking everything for little gain by having him ride injured in Australia. This is the right decision for him and for the team. Jack made a bit of a breakthrough with the set up of the bike in Malaysia, but there is still a lot of work to do if he is to realise his true potential this season. We need to be closer to the top of the timesheet and this will be the goal for Jack and his crew this week in Australia."