He's back! Jonas Folger replaces Vinales at Le Mans: KTM, in an emergency, turns to its third test rider

Jonas Folger back in MotoGP: he will contest the French GP with KTM Tech3 as a replacement for the still-recovering Maverick Vinales.

Look who’s back! Jonas Folger returns to the MotoGP paddock. The former Tech3 rider from the Yamaha era will reappear at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, scheduled for this weekend, in place of Maverick Vinales. The Spanish rider’s physical recovery continues, but he’s still really struggling with that shoulder injured last year during the Sachsenring event... Pol Espargaro is sidelined with injury, Dani Pedrosa has confirmed he won’t race any more GPs, so KTM has had to rely on their third test rider, who is busy with the development of the KTM 990 RC R, as well as serving as a sort of mental coach in the new dedicated cup.

A return to MotoGP for the first time since 2023, when he replaced Espargaro after the serious crash in Portimao. Let’s not forget that Folger hasn’t exactly been idle in the meantime; in fact, he’s been very busy and there’s been no shortage of news: last year he took on a new challenge, the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours of the Endurance World Championship! Now here he is again in the premier class of MotoGP, for the moment only for the French GP, but it will certainly depend on both Vinales’ physical condition and KTM’s plans.

Clearly the Tech3 Spaniard is very disappointed, as he had targeted Le Mans as the moment to return to MotoGP competition. But the shoulder still says no, so he’ll have to aim for another round. The problem is that just seven days after the event in France comes the Catalan GP... We’ll see; for now, Jonas Folger doesn’t hide his enthusiasm for this MotoGP comeback. “I have a great history with this team and it will be fantastic to see everyone again.” Let’s remember, he raced with this very team in 2017, the year Gilbert’s Syndrome marked his career. “Le Mans will be a great challenge: getting back on track after so many years away from racing and getting back in the saddle will mean adapting quickly and learning a lot over the weekend. It’ll be tough, no doubt, but I believe the positives outweigh the difficulties and I can’t wait. I really can’t wait.”

“From the beginning we said that Maverick’s health and recovery are the most important things,” added team manager Nicolas Goyon. “While we’re disappointed he won’t be with us at our home race, he knows his body and knows when he’ll be ready to return. It’s an important weekend for us because we’re racing in front of our friends, families, and fans, so it will be great to have two bikes back on track and Jonas back with us at Tech3. After the tests in Jerez, Enea made big progress with the bike and feels confident heading into the Grand Prix, so we’re positive and confident we can have a great weekend at home.”