Castrol Honda World Superbike Team rider Ruben Xaus has been forced to withdraw from this weekend’s racing at Silverstone in the UK due to injury.
Xaus will be replaced by Australian rider Karl Muggeridge, who last rode for the team in 2006. Muggeridge will join British rider Alex Lowes, who is himself standing in for the Castrol Honda team’s other injured rider Jonathan Rea.
Spaniard Xaus sustained leg and back injuries in a first lap crash in race one at Brno in the Czech Republic just over two weeks ago. Although initial scans did not reveal any major injury, continual pain in his back prompted Xaus to seek further medical advice last week, which revealed a fracture to his lower vertebra. He expects to be back for the Nurburgring round in Germany in early September.
Muggeridge won the World Supersport championship in 2004 with Ronald Ten Kate’s Honda team and he contested the World Superbike championship with the squad in 2005 and 2006 so he is no stranger to the crew.
He commented: “I was actually on holiday with the family in Italy when the call came through from Ronald, but I’m really happy to get this opportunity to join the team again. The World Superbike paddock is a place where I feel completely at home, but there’s definitely a big job ahead for the weekend. I don’t want to set any unrealistic targets, and I’m not going to Silverstone to re-invent the wheel. I’ll just aim to work hard and ride strong all weekend and hopefully get a couple of decent finishes in the races.”
More recently, the 36-year-old from Tweeds Head on Australia’s Gold Coast has been racing a Honda CBR1000RR in the IDM German Superbike championship. He is currently lying second in the series and is the current champion after winning in his debut season last year.