Flight home instead of an important test drive: false start to the motorcycle year: treacherous virus shuts down Aegerter

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He appeared at the Jerez circuit as planned this week, but then Dominique Aegerter, 33, went to hospital in the Spanish city instead of riding his superbike racing machine. False start to the new motorcycle year for the Bernese.

Aegerter has been in Spain all month, where he has prepared for the new season with a lot of training on various bikes, on the bike and in the gym. But when he appeared in Jerez for the first test drive in 2024, he was plagued by symptoms of illness. In addition to neck and body pain, there is also a feeling of weakness that the Superbike World Cup rider, who is otherwise bursting with energy and in top form, is not familiar with.

Aegerter also missed the next test due to a viral infection

In consultation with his Italian GRT Yamaha team, it soon became clear: a test drive was pointless, off to the hospital for a check-up. A viral infection is diagnosed there. The medical advice: heal well and give yourself time.

Test forfeit – Aegerter is so frustrated that he doesn’t want to comment much when Blick asks him to. These are bitter hours for the Rohrbacher. In 2023 he concluded his debut year in the premier class of near-production motorcycles with two podium finishes and wanted to approach 2024 with great ambitions. The first Superbike victory is here.

But now he has to watch in Jerez as his opponents prepare for the season with fast laps. And the Yamaha rider will also miss next week’s test in Portugal due to his infection. Aegerter is not commenting on exactly which virus he contracted, as further investigation is ongoing.

In the meantime, Aegerter flew back to Switzerland, where he will undergo further examinations and make a plan to get fit as quickly as possible. You feel it: Aegerter is afraid that he will not get better quickly enough.

The problem: In the Superbike World Championship, the season starts unusually early. The start will take place in Australia in just a month. In the best case, Aegerter can participate in the test at Phillip Island immediately before the first race. But he will have missed at least four of the important six pre-season tests. A terrible start to the year.

Source : Blick