Interwetten Honda’s Hiroshi Aoyama will miss this weekend’s Dutch TT at Assen after suffering a fracture of the T12 vertebra in a vicious high-side in the Silverstone morning warm-up last Sunday, set to be replaced by Japanese HRC test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi.

Following a preliminary examination at the track’s medical center, the decision was made to transfer Aoyama to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The Japanese rider is expected to return to his European base in Barcelona on Tuesday to get a second opinion. Only then will a course of action for his rehabilitation and date for his return to racing be determined.

Akiyoshi will replace current 250cc World Champion Aoyama for the next two rounds at Assen and Catalunya, while the search for a longer term replacement for the injured Japanese rider continues.

“It really is a pity that Hiro had this nasty crash in Silverstone and that he injured himself so badly, so he will be out for the next couple of months,” stated team manager Daniel M. Epp. “His learning process was going really well and he was consistently getting better.

“We hope he will recover quickly and that he will be back with us as strong as he was before the accident, and as soon as possible. In the meantime we are looking for a stable replacement. At the moment we don’t have a rider apart from at Assen and Barcelona, and we are looking for a suitable solution.”

An update on Aoyama’s condition is expected in the coming days.