MotoGP: Hernandez gets Ducati support for 2015

The factory Ducati MotoGP team has taken Pramac rider Yonny Hernandez under its wing and will give him an upgraded Desmosedici for 2015.

Hernandez first joined Pramac as a stand-in for the injured Ben Spies during 2013, and stayed on for this season, when he raced a year-old bike alongside works-affiliated teammate Andrea Iannone.

Colombian rider Hernandez had repeatedly expressed his desire for a higher-spec bike next season, and he has been rewarded with a factory contract and the use of Ducati's latest GP14.2, which was introduced for Andrea Dovizioso and Iannone in September.

A Ducati statement said its deal with 26-year-old Hernandez covered 2015 with an option for '16. He will test the GP14.2 for the first time after the season finale at Valencia next weekend.

With Iannone moving up to the works team next year to replace Cal Crutchlow, Pramac has hired Danilo Petrucci from Ioda as Hernandez's new teammate.