After the crash through Lukey Heights in Phillip Island that saw John McPhee (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) collide with Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) and Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) - with Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Jorge Navarro also then collected - Bastianini has been diagnosed with a fractured vertebra and will be on the sidelines at Sepang International Circuit; hoping to be back for Valencia.
In his place will be Ayumu Sasaki, the 2015 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup winner and 2016 Red Bull Rookies Cup champion. Sasaki, recently announced as a full-time rider in the Moto3™ World Championship in 2017 with Drive M7 SIC Racing Team, has track knowledge and is geared up for the challenge.
Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: “Obviously I’m very sorry that Bastianini will not race here, because he could defend the advantage to Navarro in the Championship. Enea will still be able to fight in Valencia, so now the priority is to let him recover in the best possible way ahead of the final race on the calendar. Given the absence of Enea we decided together with HRC to give an opportunity to Sasaki, winner of the MotoGP Rookies Cup. We are pleased to let such a young talented rider live this experience”.
Enea Bastianini: “Unfortunately I won’t race here at Sepang: my physical condition is improving, but it’s better not to take too much risks. It’s a pity being not able to get on track, but the priority now is to arrive to Valencia in full form, where we will defend the second position in the Championship: it will depend a lot on the result that Navarro will manage to get in this race, but the positive thing is that we can count on a good lead of 21 points in the standings. Immediately after the accident I felt a lot of pain and I struggled to walk, so I was a bit demoralized, but now the situation is improving day by day, so I’m sure that doing a good rehabilitation program we can get prepared to race in Valencia”.