Moto2, Catalan GP: Navarro undergoes surgery and is out; World Championship chance for Zurutuza with KLINT Forward

Navarro sidelined with an injury after the Le Mans crash; Zurutuza steps in for the upcoming Moto2 Catalan GP.

Jorge Navarro will not contest the Catalan GP due to injury; Xabi Zurutuza will replace him in KLINT Forward Racing colors for the Moto2 World Championship at Montmeló. The change comes for next weekend because of an open fracture with skin loss to the fourth finger of his right hand for Navarro, a consequence of the terrible crash in the opening laps of the race at Le Mans. It was a violent fall that began on the exit of the final corner when the rear went over the curb, triggering a pile-up a bit “Marquez-style” like in Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint, and it ended in the middle of the straight, with a fall on the right side and the handlebar landing right on the rider’s hand. A nasty incident that brought out the red flag and forced a GP restart.

He underwent surgery just yesterday at the Dexeus Clinic in Barcelona; now he needs a period of rest and recovery, and with two GPs back-to-back, it means Navarro must miss one of his home rounds in this 2026 season. Alongside Alex Escrig, it’s not an unknown arriving, but a former Moto3 World Championship rider who moved to the MotoJunior European Moto2 series.

Xabi Zurutuza, born in 2006 and from Legazpi, has already found his way back to the World Championship: he debuted in the intermediate class in the World Championship at the end of last year as a replacement for Joe Roberts with the American Racing Team, the same structure with which he was also competing in the European series. This year he’ll again be in the same MotoJunior category but with the new TopSurface Aspar Team; before that though (it kicks off at the end of May), here’s a new World Championship opportunity.

“I want to thank the team for all the work done over the weekend: compared to Jerez I felt much better with the bike; it’s a shame to have ended the weekend like this” said Jorge Navarro with evident regret over what happened. “Now we need to look ahead, recover as soon as possible, and keep working.” On the other side, as mentioned, here comes the young Basque Xabi Xurutuza, exceptionally fielded for the Catalan GP.

“I’m very happy to have this opportunity with the team in Barcelona. First of all, I wish Jorge a speedy recovery. I’ll give it my all this weekend; I can’t wait to get started!” No less enthusiasm within the team, as stated by CEO Martina Cuzari: “We are happy to welcome Xabi. He is a young and talented rider who is showing great qualities, and we believe he can do a good job together with the team. At the same time, we wish Jorge a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on track soon.”

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