Stand-in Muggeridge forced to withdraw

The Australian was not badly hurt in the cycling accident but is choosing to focus on his regular IDM Superbike ride.

28 Jul 2011

Muggeridge, Monza WSBK 2010
© Gold and Goose

Karl Muggeridge will not make his World Superbike Championship comeback as planned at Silverstone this weekend after injuring himself just days from being announced as the replacement for Ruben Xaus at Castrol Honda.

The Australian, a former World Supersport champion, had been due to make his first WSBK start since the end of the 2009 season after being called up to stand in for Xaus, who is recovering from injuries sustained in an fall at Brno.

However, a cycling accident whilst on vacation with his family in Italy has left Muggeridge nursing a wrist injury. Though there is no fracture, Muggeridge has been forced to shelve his WSBK plans so he can concentrate on getting back to fitness for his German IDM Superbike title challenge.

Despite the short notice, Castrol Honda will still compete at full strength at Silverstone, with Fabrizio Lai coming in as his replacement. The Italian has made eight WSBK starts for the Echo CRS team, most recently at Monza this season.

"We're all very sorry for Karl, as we were really looking forward to working with him again this weekend," said team manager Ronald ten Kate. "However, we understand that he needs to be fit for the next IDM round to fight again for the title. So, we have a replacement for Ruben's replacement, and we will make Fabrizio welcome and work hard with him to get the best result possible at Silverstone."

With Alex Lowes filling in for Jonathan Rea, Castrol Honda will persevere with neither of its regular riders at Silverstone this weekend.