Spain’s first ever FIM Motocross World Champion Carlos Campano is to be drafted into the factory Monster Energy Yamaha team to replace David Philippaerts, who will miss the remaining three rounds of the 2011 MX1 World Championship series after undergoing surgery on his broken wrists this week.
Campano, who has been steering a YRRD YZ450F kitted machine in the MX1 class this year will now transfer into the Italian set-up with the works YZ450FM for events in England (Matterley Basin), Germany (Gaildorf) and Italy (Fermo).
The 25-year-old from Sevilla earned his distinction with victory in the 2010 MX3 series, claiming seven rounds and winning almost half of the motos on his YZ450F with YRRD kit parts.
Campano had returned to the premier MX1 competition in 2011 and had scored points in 15 of the 24 races to date.
“I’m sorry about David’s injury but I’m really happy to be given this opportunity because it means working for one of the very best teams in the world championship with a long history,” said Campano who has ridden YZ250/450F technology for the past six years and is a double Spanish champion.
“I intend to push to the maximum and make the most of this. My first race will be at Matterley Basin and I rode there for Spain in the Motocross of Nations in 2006. If the track is the same then I’m really looking forward to going because I loved it five years ago. I can’t wait to get started.”
Meanwhile, Philippaerts underwent corrective surgery yesterday on his broken right arm a week after his training crash in Germany and will soon begin the journey to his home north of Milan.