Nico Terol has decided to sit out the Silverstone round of Moto2. After enduring a dismal year with a mystery ailment, Terol has been forced to withdraw and focus on locating the source of his problems, so that he can return to racing in full health.

Terol was expected to challenge for the title in 2014, after scoring three wins and one podium last season with the Mapfre Aspar team. But there had been warning signs of something amiss previously. In the middle of last year, Terol was suspected of suffering late onset lactose intolerance, exactly the same condition that affected Casey Stoner during the 2009 season. Treatment for that appears not to have had the desired effect, as Terol has suffered all this year with extreme fatigue and elevated testosterone levels.

The issue has now reached the point where Terol can no longer be competitive in his current condition. Terol and the Mapfre Aspar team have decided that the Spaniard should sit out Silverstone while undergoing a battery of tests to locate the source of the problem. Though the press release issued by the team speaks solely of Silverstone, it is not completely certain Terol will be back at Misano.

Below is the press release issued by the Aspar team:

Nico Terol to miss British Grand Prix

MAPFRE Aspar rider to take time out to recover from physical issues that have dogged him all season

MAPFRE Aspar rider Nico Terol ended last season in good form, with three victories and a podium, despite some physical problems arising from premature muscle fatigue. This year Nico started out strongly during winter testing but once the season started the muscle fatigue returned and with eleven races already gone in the championship he has been advised by doctors to take a break from racing so that he can be properly examined again and treated.

The decision to follow the doctors' advice means that Nico will definitely miss the next round of the season, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Since he started with these symptoms Nico has been in the hands of Dr. Ángel Charte, head of the Internal Medicine team at the Instituto Universitario Dexeus and also part of the rapid response medical team at the MotoGP events. Terol has already undergone a host of examinations and over the next few days he will be subjected to an exhaustive run of tests to try and detect the cause of his muscle fatigue.

The decision to take this break in the middle of the season has been taken jointly by the MAPFRE Aspar Team and Nico Terol. Nico has the full support of the team during the time he needs to make a full recuperation.

Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’: “It has been hard to take this decision alongside Nico and those closest to him but we have to accept that at the moment he is not 100% fit and the best thing for him is to recover. As a rider myself it hurts me to see my riders, and people that I have affection for, suffering with physical problems. Even though he is going through a tough period Nico is a fighter and he will work hard to recover as soon as possible. He has the full backing of everybody at the MAPFRE Aspar Team, and we just want to wish him well with his recovery.”

Nico Terol: “After eleven tough races because of my health I am going to take some time off to analyse every detail and find the origin of this physical problem so that we can tackle it. I had a few episodes last season but they were only occasional and I was able to recover, even winning some races. The doctors think that with some quiet time away from racing we can find the root of the problem. I have spoken with Jorge and I want to thank him for his understanding at this time. I'm sad for my team, my sponsors and my supporters and I'm also upset because we had high expectations for this season. After winning races last year we thought we would be very competitive this time around.”