Honda’s Rider Crisis: Amid Problems, Injuries and WorldSBK... Espargaro Returns

Aleix Espargaro returns to compete with Honda in MotoGP at the upcoming Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika.

It’s certainly not a lucky period in racing for Honda. Joan Mir is sidelined due to health issues that need checking, test rider Takaaki Nakagami was immediately injured while racing as a wild card in Japan, and emergency substitute Somkiat Chantra has his date with Superbike this weekend. The HRC factory team has no choice but to recall Aleix Espargaro, the second test rider, although he’s been out for a long time and only got back on the RC-V in mid-September at Mugello. That’s due to an injury (fracture of four vertebrae) caused by a bad crash during a test in Malaysia in April, for which he underwent immediate surgery, and then in August he had to undergo another operation to remove screws and plates.

Joining Marini in the Honda HRC Castrol garage for the Indonesian Grand Prix will be Honda HRC test rider Aleix Espargaró, while Joan Mir continues his recovery at home. Espargaró knows Lombok well, but he will need to quickly regain confidence with the bike after the early-season injury that limited his time on the Honda. The goal for the weekend will be to reconnect with the Honda RC213V before refocusing on development work behind the scenes.

Aleix Espargaro: “Of course, it’s always a great honor to be part of the official Honda team in MotoGP, and I want to thank them for the trust they’ve shown, allowing me to race while Joan and Taka recover. After the early-year crash and my injury, I haven’t had as much time in the saddle as I would have liked, and we’re heading to Mandalika with realistic expectations, given that I’ve only done a few laps and it’s a very physically demanding track, not to mention the weather conditions. Let’s see how we can best help the team and Honda this weekend, and let’s focus on that.”

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