Press Release

Mackenzie and Mellote Back on Track in Spain

CAS Honda's recently injured Billy Mackenzie and Cedric Melotte have both confirmed that they will be back in action at this weekend's Motocross Grand Prix of Catalunya.


Melotte injured his lower back during the opening moto of round two of the FIM World MX1 Championship in Bulgaria just over one month ago, when he hit a hard bump on one of the uphill sections of the circuit. This ruled him out of the Turkish Grand Prix the following weekend and the 30-year-old Belgian made a comeback in Valkenswaard, Holland for round four of the 15-event series.


Melotte had a strong showing in the qualifying race, holding second place for most of the twenty minute plus two lap stint and finished in an eventual sixth position, leaving the Belgian feeling confident ahead of the weekend's racing. Unfortunately for Melotte, his excruciating back pain returned for the first moto on raceday, where he held fifth position for the opening part of the race and finished in twelfth, despite being in a significant amount of pain.


Melotte was unable to contest the second moto, and returned home for further intensive treatment. The CAS Honda-ace missed out on the Portuguese Grand Prix last weeked, but having followed a strict rehabilitation programme with injections in the lower part of his back, followed by some gentle exercise, the Belgian rider will return to the racetrack in Bellpuig this Saturday.


Melotte has ridden this week, and although he is not yet at full fitness, he hopes that he has overcome the worst part of the injury he received so early on in the season.


Teammate Mackenzie will also be on-track this weekend, despite carrying the hand injury he sustained in Portugal just under one week ago. The 25-year-old Scottish rider had a small crash in practice and landed awkwardly, which dislocated his thumb.


With his battered, bruised and swollen hand, Mackenzie attempted to race in the opening moto of Sunday's Grand Prix after a pain relieving injection from the track doctor, but was unable to safely control his race machine and subsequently pulled in after just three laps. This week the CAS Honda pilot has had intensive treatment on the area with daily visits to his physiotherapist to improve the condition of his hand.


Mackenzie is still in some pain with his injury, but is determined to return to the track this weekend to contest his CRF450R, on which he has made great progress in recent weeks.


Cedric Melotte #10

"The last few weeks have been incredibly frustrating for me, because I really want to be out there racing. I injured my back in Bulgaria, which also caused a lot of pain in my legs, and I went home for a scan and some treatment. I had some pain relief injections in my back and we went to Valkenswaard feeling quite strong. All through qualifying everything was good, but in the race I had a lot of pain and could only finish one moto. I then went home for another scan, and I had a lot of inflammation around one of the discs on my back. I had an epidural to stabilise the area and rested for 10 days with some gentle physiotherapy. I started riding again this week, and I still had some pain, so I had another pain relief injection, which has made things much better. I have been doing some cycling and swimming, but we'll have to see what happens this weekend in first practice, where we'll be able to get more of an idea of what's happening. Hopefully things will be much better and we'll be able to complete a successful weekend."


Billy Mackenzie #211

"We've been really unlucky with injuries lately, as these have really hampered our progress. Last week in Portugal everything felt awesome, the bike was working good, I was riding well, and then I had a small crash in practice. I caught the bars with my thumb bit awkwardly but it seemed okay at first. On race day my whole hand was swollen and severely bruised. I tried to race, but after a few laps when the pain relief wore off, I just couldn't hang onto the bike properly so I had to pull in. I had an X-ray at the local hospital, but thankfully nothing was broken, and it just looks like I briefly dislocated the thumb. We were probably one of the lucky ones, although it's frustrating as everything is coming together, we just need some luck on our side. This week I've had physiotherapy every day with intensive treatment on the area, which has reduced the swelling. It's still pretty sore, but I'm determined to ride at the weekend."


Neil Prince: CAS Honda Team Manager

"It's great to have both riders back under the awning this weekend. Cedric has been working very hard to overcome the problems with his back, and I hope that the situation has improved enough for him to enjoy racing this weekend. Cedric rode well in Valkenswaard, and it would be great to pick up from where we left off, although it's going to be a big challenge for him with the type of injury he's had. We'll be able to gauge this much better after first practice, as it's vital he doesn't aggravate his injury further. Billy's hand really wasn't in great shape last weekend, and we have taken all of the precautions to check that he has no serious damage. There were many big crashes in the racing, so we were lucky in some ways to come away with the injury he has. He has had a lot of treatment this week, and we were unsure as to whether he'd be able to ride this weekend. His hand will still be quite painful and Billy will have to grit his teeth to complete the races, as it's important we gain as many points as possible. On a positive note the bike is working great, and we're upbeat about having both riders back on the gate."

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