Yamaha World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff will make his MotoGP debut at this weekend’s Dutch TT in place of Franco Morbidelli at the Petronas Sepang team.
Morbidelli, runner-up in last year’s runner-up, has endured a subdued 2021 campaign and on Tuesday sustained a knee injury in a training accident.
Gerloff has now been called up to the Yamaha-affiliated team for this weekend’s round at Assen.
American rider Gerloff previously sampled Yamaha’s MotoGP bike during practice at Valencia last year, when he substituted for Valentino Rossi.
Yamaha outlined that Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was also considered for this weekend’s round but the Turkish rider declined in order to focus on his World Superbike commitments.
“I’m excited for the opportunity ahead, I’m not someone who runs away from a challenge, so I’m ready to get to the track,” said Gerloff.
“It’ll be a new circuit for me, I like trying new tracks, it looks fun, fast and flowing, and really suits my riding style.
“I’m looking forward to jumping on the Yamaha M1 again and twisting the throttle.
“We’ll see how things go, but I feel good and would like to thank Yamaha and the team for considering me. It won’t be easy, but I’m going to give it my best shot!”
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