SBK | BMW tile: Van der Mark fractures his femur

Michael van der Mark’s start to the season is far from rosy: after missing the first round due to an injury in training, the BMW driver is forced to forfeit Estoril as well. Crashed in the early stages of the first free practice session of the Portuguese round, the Dutchman suffered the fracture of the head of his right femur.

The dynamics of the accident are not yet clear, as it has never been proposed by official images. However, the BMW driver lost control of his 1000RR at Turn 10, remaining on the ground for a few seconds. He got up with difficulty trying to get out of the way and going towards the escape route, but obviously limping.

To be safe, van der Mark was taken to the circuit medical center for case checks. The tests revealed the fracture of the head of the right femur and this leads to the early end of the Estoril round. For the Dutchman it is a really difficult start to the year, having already missed the inaugural appointment in Aragon.

In training, in fact, a few weeks before the start of the season, Michael van der Mark broke his right leg and this forced him to stay put when the World Superbike championship resumed in Spain. The BMW rider returned for the second round of the season, at Assen, his home track. After many difficulties, he has completed a complicated weekend, projecting himself towards Estoril, which however ends well ahead of schedule.