With Iker Lecuona having commitments in the World Superbike Championship, Takumi Takahashi will be the substitute for the injured Álex Rins at LCR Honda for the San Marino GP in MotoGP.
The Spaniard fractured a tibia and fibula about three months ago at the Italian GP, which led to surgery and a long recovery period that is still ongoing. Lecuona has been his substitute, as he doesn’t have calendar conflicts with WSBK in five rounds.
According to Motorsport.com, LCR Honda had to look for a substitute for Rins in Misano – where Honda test rider Stefan Bradl will be a wildcard to test components. Andrea Dovizioso was reportedly one of the riders Lucio Cecchinello considered, as well as Tetsuta Nagashima.
However, the choice is likely to be Takahashi – although there is still no official communication. The 33-year-old Japanese is a test rider for Honda in Japan and his only participation in MotoGP dates back to 2015 as a wildcard for the manufacturer in the Japanese GP.
