Source: Supplied.

Italian Andrea Iannone has opted out of this weekend’s Grand Prix of Aragon after taking part in free practice on Friday, to be replaced at Ducati Team by factory test rider Michele Pirro.

He was still suffering pain as a result of his crash in FP1 at Misano, in which he fractured a vertebra. Iannone had been declared fit by circuit doctors and he took to the track on Friday for the first session of free practice, which he completed at a good pace and in sixth place.

Unfortunately a worsening of the pain in his back forced Iannone to pull out for the rest of the weekend. Pirro, who had been put on stand-by for Aragon due to Iannone’s precarious physical condition, took the place of the regular Ducati Team rider and was ready for FP2 in the afternoon.

“Unfortunately I’m going to have to miss this race as well,” he confirmed. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make because this morning in FP1 the feeling was good on the bike. We did a good session, we were quick, and so I really feel bad about having to miss this GP.

“However I have to look at the situation very carefully and unfortunately this decision was the only one I could make, the best one if I think ahead to the next few races. I could probably have been able to race with pain-killers, but to be honest I didn’t want to run the risk of crashing again and having to face the same situation from scratch.

“In the last few days my condition has improved but, during the session, I realized that my neck was blocked and so I decided that it was better to recover entirely and arrive in Japan with the knowledge that the crack has completely healed and that I can ride without any problems or pain.”