Xavi Vierge's (Honda HRC) trip to Most ended on the toughest of notes as he was the unlucky recipient of Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) careening bike after Bautista and Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) collided with one another bar-to-bar in Race 2’s opening chicane. As Rea tried to cut up the inside of the corner entry, he and the #19 collided as they both wanted the same plot of track; Bautista and his bike were sent out of control back across the track into Vierge, who was sent tumbling onto the gravel. For his move up the inside which sent Bautista into Vierge, Rea was applied a penalty, however it was little consolation to Vierge who was taken immediately to the medical centre where he was later diagnosed with multiple fractures to his cuboid bone on his right foot.

After undergoing surgery for the injury, Vierge has begun reintegrating weight-bearing exercises into his training. He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday, June 10th, and undergo further X-rays. At the moment, he plans to travel to Italy for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. The injury came at a very inopportune time for the #97 and his Honda factory team, as he and his team had been putting steps together, pushing the Barcelona native onward to continue his rehab work to return for Misano.

His Honda HRC team put out the following statement regarding the #97’s fitness, “Following surgery to repair multiple fractures of the cuboid bone in his right foot on 20 May, Xavi Vierge is making positive progress with his rehabilitation. As of this week, he has started to gradually reintroduce his right foot into training sessions, adhering to a progressive program under the supervision of the medical team. The next medical checkup is scheduled for Tuesday 10 June, during which an additional scan will be performed. Vierge plans to fly to Italy on Wednesday 11 June to join the team ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, set to take place on 13-15 June at Misano. The Honda HRC team will continue to monitor Xavi’s progress closely and will provide further updates next Wednesday, prior to the Emilia-Romagna Round.”

On his recovery process and timeline going forward, Vierge said, “I had another check-up with the doctor, and everything looks good. I’m recovering faster than expected; this week, we’ve gradually started integrating my foot into training sessions. It’s been tough, but we’re on the right track. I started walking, with crutches of course, and I can begin using my foot a little in the gym and during physiotherapy, starting a proper recovery in a progressive way. If all goes well, on Monday I will start riding the bicycle on the turbo trainer, and on Tuesday I will go back to the hospital to get a final scan. If everything is fine, I will fly to Misano on Wednesday, so everything is going well.”

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