A crash interrupts Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team and Steven Odendaal's testing early

It was a bitter test in Barcelona for the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team and Steven Odendaal, who were forced to end their work programme early due to a crash. During the second session of the first day, the South African rider suffered a violent highside at turn two, as a result of which he dislocated his right shoulder: an injury that put an end to the two-day test on Catalan soil. 

After an initial check-up at the circuit's medical centre, Odendaal was transported to the hospital in the nearby town of Granollers, where detailed examinations revealed a dislocated right shoulder. He will now have to rest for around 20 days before resuming training and moving on to the next test and the first round of the season, scheduled for May 21-23 at the Aragon circuit. 

The Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team leaves Barcelona with great regret, but aware of the excellent potential shown by Odendaal on the first day, which ended with 34 laps to his credit and above all the fourth position in the combined classification of the two sessions thanks to a time of 1'45"744. 

In the coming weeks the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team will announce its new testing schedule ahead of the new season, to allow Odendaal to continue working on his Yamaha YZF-R6 once he has recovered his physical condition. 

Steven Odendaal: "We started these tests in the right spirit, and the work was also going well, but unfortunately a bad crash interrupted our progress. There is not much to say, these things can happen: now I just have to think about recovering as soon as possible. The start of the championship is still a long way off and the team has been willing to change the testing schedule, so there are all the prerequisites to get ready for the first race of the season". 

Fabio Evangelista (Team Principal): "We arrived in Barcelona eager to continue the work program started in Misano, and that's what we did very well until the crash, which unfortunately is something that is part of the game. The positive results obtained before the forced stop have given us confirmation that we can fight for the top positions. I and the whole team wish Steven a speedy recovery and we look forward to continuing this exciting adventure together".