Injured Kawasaki World Superbike star Joan Lascorz has made such a marked recent improvement in his recovery, he has been taken off a ventilator and tranferred out of intensive care.
The Spaniard, who was badly injured in an Imola testing crash, is now fully awake and can speak without any problems. He is now in the Vall d'Hebron Hospital's Spinal Cord Unit to undergo further assessment and treatment.
"It is expected that if Joan is progressing well enough in the coming days he will be transferred to the Institute Guttmann for a quick start to his recovery process," said a team spokesman.
"Joan, his family and the team again want to offer thanks for all the support and care they are receiving and especially to recognize the hard work being done by the many doctors, nurses and health professionals who are working on Joan’s recovery.
"Also, we want to offer special thanks for the outpouring of support that was evident at the Assen circuit during the most recent SBK round, where all the pilots wanted to show their support for Joan, and for the dedication of the two race wins taken by Jonathan Rea and Sylvain Guintoli."
