Pauls Jonass hatte gestern eine Knieoperation und kann somit nicht am Wochenende beim MXGP von Italien in Imola starten. Damit ist der 17-jährige Spanier Jorge Prado vorzeitig der neue Weltmeister. Er lag vor der letzten Runde schon sehr überlegen mit 46 Punkten Vorsprung vor Jonass in Führung.
Pauls Jonass:
Leider ist meine Saison früher zu Ende als wir es wollten. Nach dem Sturz in der Türkei war mein Knie total durcheinander, aber mein Team und ich beschlossen, trotz des quälenden Schmerzes durchzukommen und den Titel nicht aufzugeben. Aber in Assen wurden die Schmerzen stärker und deshalb haben wir uns zur Operation entschlossen.
Ausführlich: “After Turkey I had some tough times. The doctors actually told me not to race any more this year but I didn’t want to give up on the title so easily. I raced in Assen with a lot of pain and so went to see the doctor again afterwards and they said surgery was necessary. We came to Germany and had the operation yesterday here at Ortema and I’m very grateful for the work done by Dr Richter. The ACL was not completely torn but it was badly damaged. It is a pity to miss Imola but health comes first and I’m still young and want to think about the future. The focus now goes on my rehab and to think about getting back on the bike as soon as possible to prepare for MXGP.”
Dirk Gruebel, Team Manager: “This is obviously disappointing news for Pauls and the guys but the writing was on the wall when we learned the extent of his knee problem in the days after Turkey. Credit to him for pushing through a difficult grand prix at Assen and for wanting to fight for that number one plate until the end. The season had some big highs and some tricky moments for him but his determination stayed the same throughout. I’d like to thank the great work done by the Ortema Clinic: their support and professionalism really shone through. We hope and expect Pauls’ recovery to go well, and we’d also like to congratulate Jorge for an outstanding year. The MX2 title is staying in the KTM family for a good reason.”