A prominent rookie racer suffering from mysterious ailment finds out why he's been sick


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The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team has finally discovered what's been wrong with rookie-rider Jonas Folger, but the diagnosis was far from what the German rider had expected.

Originally thought to be suffering from a return of the Epstein Barr virus, tests that were recently performed in Germany have discovered that Folger has been dealing with Gilbert Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that prevents the liver from processing toxins properly.

The plan now for Jonas is to undergo a thorough detoxification, which should cleanse his body and disperse of all toxins, according to crash.net. After the detox has been completed, Folger needs to adhere to a specialized diet to keep him healthy.

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The 24-year-old Folger has been on bed rest since pulling out of the MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan last month. He's also missed the events in Australia and Malaysia.

Even though he's missed the last three races, Folger is still 10th in the MotoGP point standings. While he plans to make a return to racing, his focus now is on getting his health back in order.

"It's a huge relief that we now have a clear understanding of the situation and how to move forward. The past six weeks have been very difficult for me, not knowing what's happening or why my body shut down completely, said Folger, according to Motorsport.com.

"I've been living with elements of this since 2011 but I've always been able to overcome it and we never really knew what it was.

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"It's unfortunate that it took such a serious episode to finally diagnose the situation but I'm just thankful we now have some answers.

"I will be back and stronger than ever, fighting at the top of MotoGP."

https://twitter.com/Motorsport/status/928618248077303810

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