WorldSBK fans, and Kawasaki fans, in particular, are in for some good news as Lucas Mahias is finally set to return to the grid in the 2022 season. The Frenchman suffered a disappointing rookie season last year after injuring his wrist at Assen, and eventually, crashing out of the running in Catalunya. After undergoing surgery, he was met with some complications that made his healing progress slower than expected.
Now, four months later, he looks to be in better shape. Lucas Mahias has resumed training for the 2022 season of the WorldSBK. Mahias' rookie season came to an abrupt end after a crash with Chaz Davies during race two in the Catalunya round last Semptember. This, however, wasn't the start of his troubles, as he injured his wrist in Assen, the round prior. Considering that Mahias is fresh out of injury, he put out quite an impressive performance in the testing sessions in Jerez. In fact, he was fourth fastest overall, while, Alex Lowes, fellow Kawasaki rider, was the fastest.
Commenting about his return on the race bike, Lucas Mahias was understandably excited to be back in action. As posted on the official website of the WorldSBK, Mahias was quoted saying, "I’m very happy. Four months without riding a bike; it’s very nice for me to jump on the bike. These four months are maybe more like seven, eight months without pain on the bike." He went on to add, "After Assen I continued riding with pain, but now is the first time that I’m ready and my body is okay. The most important thing is that I don’t have pain in my scaphoid."
In spite of Mahias' impressive testing performance, the Frenchman said that he still has a long way to go, especially considering how long he's been off the bike. On top of that, he'll continue working closely with the team to fine-tune the settings of his bike, in particular, the suspension and electronics. Of course, he also aims to shake off the cobwebs and further refine his riding style in the testing sessions to follow.
