Rider's title-winning bike stolen in Belgium

The bike was taken from the team's headquarters in Gosselies, near Charleroi in southern Belgium, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to CCTV footage.

"The bike, which was the pride of the boss, was on display in the entrance hall of the workshop, where we let people come in and have their photo taken with it,"Sarah Colson of the Marc VDS team told AFP.

The CCTV footage shows four "hooded and gloved" men entering the workshop and taking the Kalex, putting it in the back of a white van and breaking a window pane of the vehicle in the process, Colson added.

She said that the van had also been stolen.

Rabat took to Twitter to write: "Help us to get back a bike that is of special importance for both the team and me. If someone can provide any information please contact with the team. Thanks!"

Now 28, the Spanish rider stepped up to MotoGP in 2016.