Rossi to miss Aragon, van der Mark to replace him

Valentino Rossi is set to miss a second MotoGP round due to his leg injuries suffered in a training accident, and this time his Movistar Yamaha team will replace him.

Yamaha World Superbike rider Michael van der Mark (pictured) is set to make his MotoGP debut on Valentino Rossi's YZR-M1 at the Spanish circuit of MotorLand Aragon on Sept. 24. While Rossi's rehabilitation process is reportedly progressing well, he isn't expected to be able to compete again before the Japanese GP at Motegi in October.

In his place, Dutchman van der Mark – the 2014 WorldSSP champion – will gain a similar MotoGP experience to fellow Yamaha WorldSBK rider and 2017 Suzuka 8 Hour winner Alex Lowes last year.

Unlike Lowes, who had the benefit of some testing mileage in Brno prior to taking part in the MotoGP weekends, van der Mark will debut in the premier class on the YZR-M1 without any prior testing. Nevertheless, the three-time Suzuka 8H winner is well accustomed to the demands of working for a factory team. The Dutchman is also no stranger to the MotoGP paddock, having competed in seven 125cc Grands Prix in 2010, and in the 2011 Moto2 race in Assen.

"I've never ridden a MotoGP bike before, so this will be a completely new experience for me," van der Mark admitted. "I'm very curious to see what it feels like to ride on such a machine. I realize that it won't be easy going straight into an official practice session without any prior testing. Nevertheless, I'm very grateful to Yamaha for the opportunity. I'm sure it will be a great learning experience."

Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis explained why the works team opted to add a replacement rider this time, after parking Rossi's bike for last week's MotoGP event at Misano.

"Following Valentino's crash on August 31st, Yamaha decided not to replace him at the San Marino Grand Prix, but for the next Grand Prix in Aragón the team is obliged to enter two riders," Jarvis said. "It being virtually impossible for Valentino to be fit to race in Aragón, Yamaha decided to search for a capable replacement from within its own pool of contracted riders. Having previously used Katsuyuki Nakasuga to fill in for Jorge Lorenzo in 2011 and Alex Lowes to replace Bradley Smith in 2016, we decided that Michael van der Mark should have the opportunity this time around.

"It is never easy to step in to replace another rider and even more difficult to replace Valentino Rossi, but we believe that Michael has all the credentials and experience to do a good job. We will give him our very best support and wish him every success for this exciting opportunity. We also hope that Valentino will continue to make a rapid recovery and that we will see him again, back on his YZR-M1, on the earliest possible occasion."

Nine-time MotoGP champion Rossi was involved in an accident during training in Italy, breaking the tibia and fibula of his right leg. Both fractures required surgery to repair.