German ace set for fourth MotoGP appearance this weekend in Malaysia.
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) test rider Stefan Bradl will step in for LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow at Sepang this weekend after the Briton suffered a fracture to his right ankle and distal tibia in Friday practice at Phillip Island last week.
Crutchlow immediately underwent a short 45-minute surgery to position the bone back in place, setting him up for an additional surgery this week that will likely see three plates installed.
Bradl, a former LCR rider from 2012 to 2014, expressed his disappointment for Crutchlow, however he’s grateful in receiving an opportunity to line-up in the MotoGP category once again.
“First of all I want to say it’s a great pity for Cal because he was in good form after the podium in Japan and the last few races,” Bradl stated. “I hope he has a speedy recovery. It’s a good opportunity for me, it’s a nice comeback [to the LCR team] as we had three years together and there are a lot of people I know in the team.
“I also want to thank HRC and Lucio for reacting so quickly and professionally to this situation. Now let’s see what we can do, I’m looking forward to seeing the guys and working with them again.”
Bradl was granted two wildcard entries in the world championship earlier this year as a HRC rider, while also replacing Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) at the German stop of the series.