Motorcycling-Pirro to replace Bastianini at Ducati for Americas GP (updated)
12/04/2023 10:24
(Adds Bradl replacing Marquez, Mir quotes)
April 12 (Reuters) - Ducati test rider Michele Pirro
will replace the injured Enea Bastianini at this weekend's Grand
Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the factory team said.
Italian Bastianini suffered a right shoulder blade fracture
in the MotoGP season-opener in Portugal last month and also
missed the second round in Argentina.
Ducati said he had a further check-up in Forli after
completing a few laps of the Misano circuit on a Panigale V4S
superbike.
The clinic confirmed Bastianini would still need a few more
weeks to fully recover, Ducati added.
"Enea will therefore continue his rehabilitation with the
aim of returning to the track in Jerez and will be replaced in
Texas by Michele Pirro."
Pirro, 36, last raced at the Circuit of the Americas in 2016
as a stand-in for Danilo Petrucci at Pramac Ducati, finishing
eighth. He has raced eight times in the last three seasons with
a best result of 11th.
The fourth race of the season is the Spanish Grand Prix in
Jerez on April 30.
Honda's six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez is also ruled
out for Sunday's race in Austin urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N36E39N and has been
replaced by German test rider Stefan Bradl alongside Spaniard
Joan Mir.
Bradl's last race in Texas was also in 2016, with Aprilia.
Mir crashed in the Saturday sprint race in Argentina,
missing the main grand prix.
"I am ready to get back on the bike in America," he said
in a Repsol Honda statement. "I have been able to spend this
week at home recovering fully after the fall on Saturday and
getting back to training."
Injured Spaniard Pol Espargaro has been replaced by German
rider Jonas Folger at the GasGas Factory Racing Tech3 team.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N36347K
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Peter
Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)
((alan.baldwin@thomsonreuters.com; +442075427933;))