Gresini has drafted in Ducati's World Superbike rider Iker Lecuona as an injury stand-in for the Hungarian MotoGP round at Balaton Park.
Lecuona will ride in relief of the injured Alex Marquez - still recovering from his terrible crash in Barcelona - and will make his first MotoGP appearance in just under three years, when he had a stint as a replacement rider from Honda.
Prior to that, he was a MotoGP full-timer for two seasons with KTM satellite outfit Tech3.
Neither 26-year-old Lecuona, nor his WorldSBK team-mate Nicolo Bulega, were available to substitute Marquez in this past weekend's MotoGP round at Mugello, as it clashed with World Superbike at Aragon.
So Ducati's 39-year-old tester Michele Pirro stepped in - but Pirro is more important in his test role for Ducati's new 850cc prototype for 2027.
The same appears to be true for Bulega, who is romping to a maiden WorldSBK title - having finished second twice in the years before to Toprak Razgatlioglu (who now rides for Pramac Yamaha in MotoGP).
Bulega, who like Lecuona is 26, is on a record streak of 22 consecutive wins in WorldSBK.
And it seems that nothing should be read into Lecuona getting the Balaton call-up over him - as Italian media reported last weekend that Bulega's 2027 MotoGP move has been rubber-stamped, and that he will represent the VR46 Ducati team (having in the past been one of Valentino Rossi's VR46 Academy riders).
Ducati presumably won't see too much of an upside in getting Bulega another MotoGP runout given he's already been testing the 850cc prototype on Pirellis (so doesn't really need the additional 1000cc and Michelin tyre experience that '26 MotoGP offers) - and given that his fitness is a priority both ahead of his MotoGP move and in his championship position in WorldSBK.
Lecuona has finished second to Bulega in a scarcely-believable 15 consecutive races, and the MotoGP call-up should also be a reward for him having proven himself a more-than-capable WorldSBK number two - putting Bulega under significant pressure in several of the races and racking up consistent points.
Picked up from Honda's struggling WorldSBK project by Ducati on an initial one-year deal, he now looks an absolute no-brainer to be retained in the Italian works team in WorldSBK next year - especially if, as is expected, Bulega is moving on.
He also proved himself a solid enough MotoGP rider in his time at KTM and a capable stand-in during his call-ups with Honda - but, unlike Bulega, there currently appears no viable path for him to return to full-time MotoGP competition.
There is no return timeline yet for Alex Marquez, who suffered a marginal C7 vertebra fracture and a right collarbone fracture in Barcelona.
Meanwhile, veteran Cal Crutchlow will continue to deputise for Johann Zarco - who suffered significant knee injuries in that same Barcelona race - at LCR Honda.
from The Race https://ift.tt/jsePv1x
No comments: