Honda test rider Akiyoshi to replace injured Aoyama

The Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team has confirmed that Honda test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi will replace Hiroshi Aoyama for the next two rounds at Assen and Catalunya, while the search for a longer term replacement for the injured Japanese rider continues.

2009 250cc World Champion Aoyama fractured a vertebra (T12) in a warm up session crash at Silverstone on Sunday, and has spent the last two nights in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford while his condition has been monitored.

In the meantime, the team has acquired Akiyoshi to ride the satellite RC212V at the TIM TT Assen, which takes place from June 24th-26th, and the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya from July 2nd-4th. The Japanese rider will wear the number 64.

“It really is a pity that Hiro had this nasty crash in Silverstone and that he injured himself so badly, so he will be out for the next couple of months,” stated Team Manager Daniel M. Epp. “His learning process was going really well and he was consistently getting better.”

“We hope he will recover quickly and that he will be back with us as strong as he was before the accident, and as soon as possible. In the meantime we are looking for a stable replacement. At the moment we don't have a rider apart from at Assen and Barcelona, and we are looking for a suitable solution.”