14-18 – GP of Aragón – Who to replace Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon? –

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Who to replace Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon ?

14-18 - GP of Aragón - Who to replace Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon? -

Yamaha will announce on Monday the name of the rider who will take the handlebars of Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon … and perhaps even at the GP of Japan, if by chance the Doctor is not fully recovered from his broken leg. In the meantime, speculations are rife … Panorama of potential candidates.

"We decided not to replace Valentino here for his national Grand Prix, because it was impossible to do in a place like this", confirms Massimo Meregalli, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team director.

  • MNC of September 8, 2017 :
  • MNC Live :
  • MNC of September 4, 2017 :
  • MNC of September 1, 2017 :

Finding a replacement for the genius of the Alpine pastures in his own garden in Misano, about fifteen kilometers from his home in Tavullia, could indeed seem delicate … But the MotoGP regulations oblige the teams to replace a rider unavailable for a maximum of 10 days. after the date of the package (officialized on September 4), therefore imperatively before the GP of Aragon in 15 days…

14-18 - GP of Aragón - Who to replace Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon? -

"We are thinking of several riders", confides the official Yamaha team manager … without citing them! "Yamaha will announce on Monday who will be Vale’s replacement in Aragon", is content to declare Massimo Meregalli who must have forgotten to finish his sentence: "stay connected!"

In the meantime, speculation is rife … and if the prospect of seeing Johann Zarco ride on Rossi’s M1 is enough to excite French MotoGP enthusiasts, it is highly unlikely that his will slip away so easily! Tech3 is in fact a private structure independent of the Yamaha factory, which is content to rent motorcycles to it. Ditto for Johann’s teammate, the German Jonas Folger.

  • Interview Herve Poncharal :
  • Interview Johann Zarco :

On the trail of Nakasuga…

Other tracks should be sought from Yamaha riders in World Superbike, especially since the MotoGP Aragon GP will take place on September 24 after the Portuguese WSBK event and before the French round at Magny-Cours, therefore without competition. dates.

  • MNC of August 29, 2016 :

The Briton Alex Lowes, who already rode in MotoGP last year in the finishing, then in (where he had), could do the trick, as his Dutch teammate Michael van der Mark who did some freelancing in 125 and in Moto2 between 2008 and 2011…

14-18 - GP of Aragón - Who to replace Valentino Rossi at the GP of Aragon? -

But among the most probable hypotheses, the Doctor’s Yamaha could be entrusted to Katsuyuki Nakasuga, M1 development pilot, several times titled in Japanese Superbike and winner of the last ones on the Yamaha Factory Racing Team n ° 21 (above at left alongside Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark). In addition to the fact that Japanese manufacturers are naturally inclined to value their compatriots, Nakasuga has the advantage of knowing the Yamaha prototype and the way the team works.. 

The hero of Japan

Every year since 2011, this 36-year-old Japanese rider with little publicity in Europe has been invited to take the handlebars of an M1 during his national GP in Japan. In 2012, "Kats" even doubled the stake with two participations: in (Japan) as a wild card, then in (Spain) on the factory bike of injured Ben Spies! Overcoming difficult weather conditions, he finished behind Dani Pedrosa !

  • MNC of 12 November 2012 :

In the space of one race, Katsuyuki Nakasuga suddenly became a true hero in the eyes of his employer. Very attached to honor – like other Japanese manufacturers – Yamaha has since dedicated a special status to Nakasuga, the last Japanese rider to be on a podium in the premier class … A performance that is worth all the CVs in the world !

Eleventh of the, Nakasuga finally has the advantage of being already under contract with Yamaha Factory, which avoids the manufacturer having to find a financial arrangement with one of its satellite teams – and its sponsors … – to poach temporarily his pilot.

Unless of course an incredible surprise for French bikers with the young, handsome, rich, intelligent and courageous Lucas Mahias, the who now ?! If it is still too early to take a final decision, one thing is certain: intense negotiations will continue throughout the weekend … Stay tuned !

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