MotoGP Valencia: Update on Jonas Folger's condition

GP Valencia MotoGP – On the eve of the last stage of the 2017 MotoGP, the Yamaha Tech3 Team has released an update note on Jonas Folger's health conditions.

The German driver suffered an illness, or rather, a real collapse, shortly before the Japanese GP, according to what was reported in the note. He was therefore forced to skip the GP and return to Germany to undergo numerous tests. At the end of the tests it was discovered that he is suffering from Gilbert's syndrome, a genetic disease that affects 2-3% of the population and which causes an accumulation of toxins in the blood. There is no real cure for this syndrome, the Tech3 pilot will have to stick to a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and avoid stress. After missing the triptych, the rookie will also miss the last race of the season, and probably also the tests scheduled for 12 and 13 November.

During the many tests, Folger was diagnosed with damage to his vocal cords, a consequence of the accident in Aragon (when he hit his neck on the fairing) which caused him to have a lowering of his voice. The recovery times for this problem are very long, we are talking about 1 or 2 years.

These are the words of Jonas Folger: “It's a huge relief to have finally discovered the cause of my discomfort and found a solution. The last 6 weeks have been very difficult for me, I didn't know what was going to happen and why my body had shut down. I have lived with this thing since 2011, but we have always managed to manage it but we never understood what it was. It was unfortunate that such a serious incident occurred to find out but I'm grateful because now we have the answers. I miss my team and my friends in the paddock. I have received so much support from everyone through social media, not only fans but also colleagues and this means a lot to me. I want to thank the whole team and all my sponsors for believing in me and for the messages of support. I will come back stronger than ever, to fight at the top in MotoGP.”