Defending World Champion Nathaniel Powers and Phoenix driver Thierry Xylander are both recovering in hospital after a cycling crash over the weekend during a training camp in preparation for the upcoming season. Powers and his trainer Oli Sharp were in Belgium for the training camp, where they were joined by Xylander following the Belgian’s split from his own trainer at the end of last year. The two drivers first started training together during 2020, with Powers reportedly taking the youngster under his wing in an unofficial coaching role, both on and off the track.
The trio were out cycling when they unexpectedly happened across some black ice, which Xylander caught and lost control, collecting Powers who was riding alongside and sending them both tumbling down a hill into a valley filled with greenery. Sharp stopped and immediately called for an ambulance, with both drivers being airlifted to a nearby hospital. Downton released the following statement regarding the incident. “Nathaniel has suffered a broken ankle and a fractured collarbone following a cycling crash while on a pre-season training camp with his trainer Oli Sharp and fellow driver Thierry Xylander. He is currently recovering at a hospital in Belgium however remains in high spirits and will be flown home to England shortly to continue his recovery. This is the reason he missed the teams new car launch yesterday evening. Unfortunately the injuries sustained have aggravated some old injuries Nathaniel suffered during an accident in the 2017 Austrian V-Prix. This means the expected recovery time is slightly longer than normal, and puts a question mark over our line-up for pre-season testing. We have Matteo on standby however, and will have a better idea of the situation closer to the time. Both ourselves and Nathaniel would like to thank the fans for their support and well wishes.” Phoenix have not released a statement, but Terry McCarroll – the teams head of PR and sponsorship – made the following comments to the press. “He (Xylander) has undergone surgery in the nearby hospital for a broken tibia and fibula and now the recovery process is beginning. It will of course be a long road but Thierry is in good spirits. Other than the leg he has small grazes but is otherwise in very good shape.”
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