Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) will unfortunately remain sidelined for the upcoming Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix as the Japanese rider continues to recover from surgery on his fingers to fix the injury sustained in the Aragon GP crash.
???? NAKAGAMI UPDATE????
— LCR Team (@lcr_team) October 10, 2022
@tetsutanagashima to replace @takanakagami30 at the #AustralianGP Following doctors’ recommendations, Taka will miss the #AustralianGP.Nagashima will once again stand in for his compatriot as he recovers from the operation he underwent after the JapaneseGP. pic.twitter.com/xOQ2ORAZ1s
Therefore, as he did last time out in Thailand, HRC Test Rider Tetsuta Nagashima will step into the fold alongside Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol). This will be Nagashima’s third MotoGP™ appearance on the spin after making a wildcard outing at his home Grand Prix in Japan, before replacing Nakagami in Buriram.
“After the Japanese GP I had another surgery on my fingers and they are getting better day by day but it is still a bit difficult to grab some items,” said Nakagami. “I feel fine, I don’t feel any pain but the doctor recommended that I have to rest for at least two more weeks which means that I will miss the Australian GP.
“Next Monday I have another medical check to take out the stitches and then we’ll decide if I can race in Malaysia. Meantime, I wish to Nagashima san and my team all the best in Phillip Island.”