In the opening day of the final test session at Phillip Island on Monday, Rea fell at turn two and sustained multiple fractures to his left foot. After treatment at the circuit medical centre and further scans and specialist consultation, Rea flew home to Belfast on Wednesday.
On Friday, he met with Dr Michael McMullan at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast and underwent surgery to stabilise the fractures. The procedure was deemed a success and Rea has since returned home to begin his recovery.
While the exact timeframe for rehabilitation remains unclear, Rea will miss the upcoming Portimão test (14-15 March) and Round 2 at the Autodrómo Internacional do Algarve (28-30 March).
Jonathan Rea – Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team
“I would like to thank Dr Michael McMullan and his team at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for the urgency and care to deal with my foot injury. After reviewing the scans from my crash in Australia we made the decision to fly home directly and perform surgery to stabilise and fix the injuries in my foot. The surgery was successful and I will continue my recovery at home with my medical team. I want to thank my team, my family and of course all my fans who have been sending me positive messages during these difficult days.”
Niccolò Canepa – Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“We are missing Jonathan here in Australia, as he travelled to the opening round of the season fully motivated and with a growing confidence in the Yamaha R1, only to be sidelined by the testing crash. Unfortunately, the recovery time for the injury he sustained means he will not be able to race in Portimão next month. We extend our best wishes to Jonathan for a speedy recovery and hope to see him back soon.”
©Words/Images above are from an official press release posted courtesy of the team
