Reigning MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Tommy Hill was able to walk away unhurt from a high-speed crash on the opening day of testing in Cartagena this afternoon.

Hill was lucky to escape unhurt after a big fourth-gear crash when he fell and, while he walked away unscathed apart from a sore hip, the bike suffered extensive damage - the front end torn off as the magnesium yokes broke on impact.

Hill told MCN: "We had just got the fuelling sorted and the bike was feeling a lot nicer to ride. I was third gear, then fourth, about 80% throttle and the bike just let go. I've no idea what caused it. I was sliding along and the bike landed about four feet in front of me when the front end broke off."

The Swan team are checking the data to see if it could help them to understand what caused the crash.