MotoGP: Espargaro set to stand in for Vinales in Hungary
On the back of KTM Tech 3 rider Maverick Vinales' injuries from the Sachsenring, the Spaniard has elected to miss this weekend's inaugural race at the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit, with Pol Espargaro set to replace him.
Viñales suffered a severe fall during the second qualifying session of the German Grand Prix, sustaining an injury. While initial examinations at the medical center revealed a dislocated left shoulder, a more thorough examination determined that Viñales also had a fracture and a torn supraspinatus ligament, which supports shoulder movement.
The Spaniard successfully underwent surgery in Italy the day after his crash. He missed the Czech roung, but returned to action at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. However, he decided to withdraw from action after the practice day.
Red Bull KTM Factory Test rider Pol Espargaro will once again replaced Vinales after Brno. The Spaniard will already have data from the track, after he already made a test with KTM a few months ago, and he will bring with him crucial information to the squad.
Commenting on his return to MotoGP action Espargaro stated: "It’s tough for Maverick to miss another race but we saw in Austria that he needs more time for recovery and it’s important to think about MotoGP when you are 100%. I know this only too well!
"I repeat again what I said in Czechia: he's doing an amazing job for the factory, and he deserves to continue enjoying the bike, as the other guys have done. I hope he’s back asap.
"Right now we focus on Hungary and it's not easy to change the test rider ‘chip’ for the MotoGP rider ‘chip’, with the level the category has right now, and with the pace the others have. We’ve had some tests recently and we can see the project is making some great progress.
"I’m happy to be able to help out the team and the factory again by racing this weekend and, as always, it will bring some value to our work behind the scenes and at the races. We’ll need to change our mentality and get ready for this new challenge in Balaton Park," Espargaro concluded.
