MotoReview

Despite the extent of the crash, none of the four ZX-RR MotoGP bikes were damaged and have now been delivered along with the team's equipment to the Jerez circuit where testing will begin tomorrow as planned.

Full Press Release

The Kawasaki Racing Team's preparations for the coming MotoGP season suffered a setback on Monday, when the team's race transporter was involved in a road traffic accident while travelling from Barcelona to Jerez.

Just two hours after leaving Barcelona, the Kawasaki race transporter was buffeted by ferocious winds as it travelled along the highway around Peniscola, forcing the transporter to leave the road and onto uneven ground, where it toppled over at speed.

Race mechanic Jason Corney, who was the passenger in the truck, suffered injuries to his right foot, losing his little toe as a result of the crash. The Australian underwent surgery to repair damage to his remaining toes on Monday evening in Spain and was returned to a clinic in Germany on Wednesday afternoon for further treatment.

Driver and race mechanic, Josef Buchner, was also injured in the crash, suffering a dislocated shoulder. Buchner was fit enough to travel back home to Germany on Tuesday, where he will undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his injured shoulder.

First on the scene at the accident were two tyre technicians from Dunlop, who were also travelling to the IRTA test at Jerez. After extinguishing a potentially dangerous fire in the cab, the two Dunlop technicians then pulled the injured Kawasaki mechanics from the tractor unit and administered first aid by the side of the road.

The race truck, in which the Kawasaki Racing Team's Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP bikes were being transported between the IRTA tests, was completely destroyed in the crash, and required three cranes and more than ten hours to put back on it's wheels.

The trailer unit was transported to the Valencia circuit, where team members who'd flown from Jerez to Valencia were able to gain access to the interior and assess the damage.

Fortunately, while equipment inside the trailer had been dislodged, there was surprisingly little damage, with most of the force having been dissipated through the trailer unit itself.

All four Ninja ZX-RR machines were found to be undamaged, with even the fragile carbon fibre bodywork surviving the crash mostly intact.