Honda-mounted MXGP regular Joel Roelants has commenced his road to recovery following a serious incident at the Maggiora round of the 2014 MXGP World Championship last weekend.

During the second lap of the timed qualifying, Roelants reportedly cased a jump and suffered a severe blow to his back, before being immediately transported to the hospital in Turin.

Doctors established that two of his backbones (T8 and T9) were broken as a result of the crash. They operated without delay. During this five-hour surgery, eight bolts were inserted to stabilise his back.

However, Roelants’ legs were numb after the crash and remained numb after the surgery. The doctors say that the coming three weeks are crucial for his further recovery. Whether or not the numbness will disappear, is difficult to assess at this stage.

“I know what is going on. My decision has already been made: I will keep fighting,” he uttered after waking up for the first time. On Thursday, Joel will be transported to a hospital in homeland Belgium for further examination. Also Joel’s regular doctor Toon Claes is attending him.

In the meantime, fans have gathered on various social media websites to support their favourite pilot. On Twitter, the hashtag #supportJR can be used to show your support. On Facebook, over 4500 fans have already joined the group ‘Like als steun voor Joel Roelants’ (in dutch).

The family and the team would already like to express their gratitude towards the medical staff, fans and mx colleagues for all the support.