Criville injured in Jerez crash.

On day two of Team Repsol YPF Honda's three-day test at Jerez, Alex Crivill? crashed out - injuring his right little finger, and handing the teams testing duties over to Tohru Ukawa.

After a first diagnosis done at the circuit's medical centre, Repsol YPF Honda's rider has flown to Barcelona to double check his injury. In the words of the doctors from the circuit Criville; "has suffered a slight erosion of a distal phalanx of his right hand's small finger. However, the X-ray has shown no fracture".

Alex and new teammate, Tohru Ukawa, have been testing at the Jerez circuit since Monday, with Ukawa due to continue tomorrow. Before his accident, Criville had completed sixty-three laps of the Spanish circuit, with his best lap time close to that set at the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

Speaking after his accident, Criville described what happened, "I've crashed out going into the Dry Sack corner at around 100 km/h. I've lost the front and my hand has been trapped under the bike. That's why it's been badly scratched - although I feel ok." The concerned Spaniard added, "I would rather visit the Dexeus Clinic in Barcelona to see how injured my finger really is."

"I can only say that testing has gone well till today." he continued, "The new bike has got a lot of potential and it's really competitive. But don't forget it's like starting from nought because it's completely new, so we have no references from the past. We've still got a lot of work to do."

"In these two days we've focused on the bike's chassis and tyres to get different feelings from the bike. Now I want to take a month's break so that I'm fully fit and with batteries charged in January," he concluded.

Meanwhile, Ukawa had managed sixty-eight laps of testing on Monday, setting a best time of 1min 44.8secs - 1.1secs off Criville's pace, while on Tuesday he had closed to exactly 1sec of pace setter Loris Capirossi.

Today (29 Nov.) the Japanese rider is expected to complete a total of seventy-two laps of the track as he builds his confidence on the 500cc NSR, after his move from the Shell Advance Honda 250cc team.

He explained how his testing has gone to date, "We've had some chattering problems in the front today. I've been testing the 16.5" Michelin rear tyre and although lap times have been close to the ones using the 17" tyre, I've felt more comfortable with the first option."

"I only know I need more time on the bike because it's completely different to what I've ridden before," he admitted. "After testing in Australia and Malaysia we've given a big step forward. However, I'm aware that there's still a lot of work to do during the pre-season."

Testing Times from Jerez

Monday 27th Nov.

1. Alex Barros1min 43.6secs - 49 Laps
2. Alex Criville 1min 43.7secs - 63 Laps
3. Loris Capirossi 1min 43.7secs - 53 Laps
4. Tohru Ukawa 1min 44.8secs - 68 Laps
5. Valentino Rossi 1min 45.3secs - 33 Laps

Tuesday 28th Nov.

1. Loris Capirossi 1min 43.2secs - 54 Laps
2. Alex Crivill? 1min 43.3secs - 64 Laps
3. Alex Barros1min 43.4secs - 71 Laps
4. Tohru Ukawa 1min 44.2secs -78 Laps
5. Valentino Rossi 1min 44.3secs - 41 Laps