Kristian Whatley sidelined with health issue
By Sean Lawless on 14th Jun 18
Former British champion Kristian Whatley will take an enforced break from racing to deal with an ongoing health issue that has badly affected his form.
The 28-year-old has been pulled from races for the rest of the month by his Rob Hooper Racing Yamaha team to give him time to recover from a strength-sapping illness. It is hoped he will return to action at the fourth round of the Michelin MX Nationals at Sherwood on July 1.
Kristian is really struggling, said Hooper, and unfortunately in his current frame of mind and fitness he isnt doing his or our teams reputation any good by being out there at the moment. I spoke with Kristian at length and we both decided that this was the best way to go for the time being.
We always stick with our riders 100 per cent and we feel we are supporting Kristian more by taking the pressure off him and giving him the opportunity to build himself back up again.
Advice
We have organised a practice bike for him so he can be getting plenty of bike time and he has taken medical advice on the illness that has been sapping his energy in motos so we hope we can start the building process again with him come July.
The last few seasons have been tough for Whatley who swept all three major domestic titles in 2013. After stepping back from Buildbase Honda midway through 2016 he signed for MVR-D Racing Husqvarna for 2017 but left the team without turning a wheel.
He then agreed a deal with Apico Husqvarna but broke his femur at round three of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship at Canada Heights and sat out the remainder of the year.
In his Maxxis debut for RHR in March he was a solid fifth but since then hes struggled to find his form and currently sits ninth in the Maxxis series and 10th in the Michelin MX Nationals. In a social media post he thanked his friends and fans for their ongoing backing.
Thanks for everyones support, he wrote. It means a lot at this hard time and its only giving me more motivation. Ill be up the top end again fighting before the end of the season.
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