There are many injuries in MotoGP this season and teams are forced to find a replacement rider at the last minute. This was the case at Ducati, Iannone and Honda at Pedrosa, for example, no easy task, because it is complicated to have a deputy at the level of a works driver.
Very few riders with MotoGP experience are available to fill in “gaps”. In this season, The happiest team is Ducati, who can count on an excellent backup solution with Michele Pirro, but this is a unique situation.
It’s not an easy problem to solve, Honda team principal Livio Suppo stated that “In the past we have tried to offer a young driver the role of test driver but it is unlikely that he will accept it because he wants to race. Finding a replacement in Moto2 is impossible as they would have to forego racing in their own class. Nicky Hayden was perfect instead of Pedrosa at Phillip Island, but he had to fit that in between his SBK engagements.
The third driver, similar to Formula 1, is not feasible in MotoGP.
Yamaha CEO Lin Jarvis agrees: “Something like that is difficult to plan. AAt the end of the day, a driver has to race every weekend to be competitive. “.
Davide Brivio, Suzuki team manager, underlines that this is one of the differences between cars and motorcycles. “That is the spirit of our sport: The best drivers drive, we are different from Formula 1 “.
While the three Japanese manufacturers aren’t structured to make this possible, Aprilia has an ace up its sleeve for 2017.
“Eugene Laverty will ride our motorcycle in the SBK and we have also planned some tests for him with the MotoGP. If we need a replacement, it would be our first choice, ”explains Romano Albesiano.
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