24 year old Dutch rider Michael Van der Mark will be replacing Rossi for the 24th September race in Aragon. Has won three Suzuka Endurance races
Nine time world champion Valentino Rossi has got a replacement for the MotoGP race that is scheduled to take place on 24th September in Aragon, Spain. The star will be replaced by Dutch rider Michael van der Mark who at present, features for Yamaha in the World Superbike Championship.
For those not in the know, Valentino Rossi fractured his leg a couple of weeks back while he was undergoing training on a dirt bike. The doctors had revealed at that point of time that it will take at least 30 to 40 days for him to be back on a MotoGP bike. With this, the hopes for the championship title for ‘Doctor’ also came to an end. However, Valentino Rossi is quite optimistic that he will be able to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix starting October 15.
Also read: Valentino Rossi Breaks Leg In Off-Road Accident; Ruled Out For A Month
Regarding his recovery, Yamaha has been quoted saying that Rossi is indeed showing good progress in his rehabilitation process. The company also said that the MotoGP star is not expected to be back on the saddle before Japanese GP in mid October.
The interesting part is that Van der Mark, the rider replacing Rossi, has never ridden a MotoGP bike before. The 24 year old will have the usual pit crew assisting him at the Aragon circuit. With this, Van will be making his debut in the premier class. He has also registered victory in the Suzuka Endurance race three times. Besides, the Dutch rider has raced at the Spanish circuit seven times in the past with world superbikes and some other support series.
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Regarding this, the Managing Director of Yamaha, Lin Jarvis said that the team was highly obliged to enter two bikes for the race. They had decided to make a replacement for Rossi within the company’s group of contracted riders. Lin further added that it is difficult to replace a rider and if that rider is Valentino Rossi, things become even tricky. The company believes that Michael has got all the credentials to do a good job.
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