Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton took part in a private test aboard Yamaha Superbikes prepared by the Crescent World Superbike team this week, but suffered a small crash.
Hamilton has made no secret for his passion of bikes and motorcycle racing, and in recent years has become brand ambassador for Italian marque MV Agusta – who made a special edition of its F4 Superbike, known as the LH 44.
The Briton took to the Jerez circuit in Spain, which last week played host to WSBK and MotoGP testing, on Saturday on YZF-R1s prepared by Yamaha's official WSBK outfit Crescent Racing.
While not much information has surfaced about the test, Italian outlet Gazzetta dello sport reported WSBK rider Alex Lowes acted as coach to Hamilton.
The day was not without incident, however, as Hamilton reportedly crashed going through the right-hander Turn 5 of Sito Pons, though walked away unscathed from the tumble.
Hamilton won his fifth F1 title in 2018 after amassing 11 victories, beating Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 88 points.
Yamaha enjoyed its most successful WSBK campaign since 2011, with Michael van der Mark securing the double victory at Donington in May, while team-mate Lowes added to the Japanese marque's win tally in the second race at Brno a fortnight later.
Next year Yamaha will have two factory-supported teams on the grid in WSBK, with Lowes and van der Mark remaining the the Crescent outfit, while GRT steps up with former MotoGP race winner Marco Melandri and '12 Moto3 champion and newly-crowned World Supersport title winner Sandro Cortese.
Earlier this year five-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez and his now-retired Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa took part in a two-day F1 test in a 2012-spec Red Bull car at Spielberg in Austria.
In 2016, Jorge Lorenzo – who will join Marquez at Honda next year – drove Hamilton's W04 at Silverstone as a parting gift from title sponsor Monster Energy to the three-time premier class champion, who departed Yamaha for Ducati at the end of that year.
