Yamaha has confirmed that Michael van der Mark will replace the injured Valentino Rossi for the next round of the MotoGP season at MotorLand Aragón.
Rossi sustained fractures to his leg during a recent training crash but Yamaha opted not to replace the Italian for last weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix, as it evaluated its options.
Yamaha weighed up test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, along with Alex Lowes, but has settled on Van der Mark, who will make his premier class debut at the Spanish venue.
“I'm excited to be given the opportunity to ride the YZR-M1 at the Aragón MotoGP round,” said Van der Mark.
“I‘ve never ridden a MotoGP bike before, so this will be a completely new experience for me.
“I‘m very curious to see what it feels like to ride on such a machine. I realise that it won‘t be easy going straight into an official practice session without any prior testing.
“Nevertheless, I‘m very grateful to Yamaha for the opportunity. I‘m sure it will be a great learning experience.”
Van der Mark currently races for Yamaha in World Superbikes and holds seventh in the standings.
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