Waldmann to make substitute appearance

With Russian 250cc rider Vladimir Leonov picking up a hand injury in Germany the Viessmann Kiefer Racing team have turned to Ralf Waldmann to step in for the British Grand Prix.

Waldmann was the 1996 250cc World Championship runner-up and last competed in a Grand Prix in at Brno in 2002. As a vastly experienced figure, with 20 GP wins and 50 podiums to his name, it is hoped that the team will benefit from Waldmann’s knowledge, as he replaces rookie Leonov for one round only.

Talking to motogp.com on Thursday at Donington Park, Jochen Kiefer, Co-owner of the Viessmann Kiefer Racing team, explained, “On Monday Vladimir had an operation to put a supportive screw in his hand and we knew that he would miss this weekend, but we expect him to return at Brno. This is not a big comeback for Ralf!”

He continued, “We were talking together on Sunday in Germany and Ralf was with us when Vladimir showed us the scan which meant he would be unavailable for Donington. We were thinking about a German 250cc rider who we could put on the bike and Ralf said ‘what about me?’, and we said yes!”

Kiefer added, “Ralf is 43 and we don’t expect him to be really competitive in the race because we think there will be a deficit in terms of his physical condition but he should be ok in the practice sessions. He has had a day on the bike in Germany this week and of course he has a tremendous amount of experience in the 250cc class. Hopefully he will be able to make some set-up improvements for Vladimir.”