Is this the end of Phillip Tonn’s career? The long injury lay-off drags on

Phillip Tonn lined up on the starting grid for the last time at a World Sportbike Championship race in Assen in April. For a few years now, SPEEDWEEK.com – the only German-language specialist publication that also regularly covers the sportbike category and, in particular, up-and-coming German riders – has been reporting regularly on the 21-year-old, who has made Thuringia his home, and, following his injury, on his progress in recovery.

Yet Tonn has been out of contact for months; even his manager has heard or read nothing from him since August. Anyone can imagine what state Phillip’s health and career must be in if he’s keeping such a low profile. One possible conclusion is that his hand injury is so protracted and problematic that a comeback has become a distant prospect, or is even impossible. “It’s a tricky situation when you can’t move your hand properly,” the German said in his last interview with SPEEDWEEK.com in June. “I don’t really know yet to what extent I’ll remain impaired. The doctor said it’s possible that I’ll be left with limited extension.”

Since mid-May, Tonn’s place in the Kove Racing Team 109, based in the UK, has been taken by the German Loris Schönrock (Most), the Spaniard Daniel Mogeda (Aragon), the Italian Alessandro Zanca (Misano) and the Frenchman Hugo de Cancellis (Magny-Cours and Cremona), who will also be stepping in for the final round in Jerez de la Frontera this coming weekend.

Following Kove’s title win in last year’s Supersport 300 World Championship with Benat Fernandez, there is little to be gained with the 450cc bike in the Sportbike class: The Spaniard is currently only 20th in the World Championship standings and his best result of the season so far is 9th place in the first race at Assen.