Michael van der Mark to Replace Valentino Rossi at Aragon Grand Prix
As expected, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi will miss the Aragon Grand Prix at Motorland Aragon, round 14 of 18 in 2017 MotoGP.
Due to recovering from a leg injury sustained in a training crash, Rossi missed this past weekend’s round at Misano. Yamaha didn’t appoint a substitute rider on the other factory Yamaha YZR-M1.
Things will change during the Aragon GP, which runs September 22-24. Yamaha WorldSBK pilot Michael van der Mark will substitute for the nine-time World Champion, Yamaha announced Monday.
As for Rossi, he is undergoing rehabilitation for his leg, which he broke during an enduro-training crash two weeks ago. The 38-year-old Italian, who celebrated a record 300 premier-class starts at Silverstone, is expected to return at Twin Ring Motegi for the Grand Prix of Japan October 13-15.
Van der Mark, who will make his MotoGP debut, will have the full support of Rossi’s crew at Aragon GP. The three-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner of the Netherlands is no stranger to Grand Prix racing; he competed in seven 125cc GPs (2011), and also the Dutch Moto2 round in Assen (2012).