Yoshikawa named as Rossi replacement
Added on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Yoshikawa named as Rossi replacement
Yamaha have confirmed that test rider Wataru Yoshikawa will stand in for Valentino Rossi at the Fiat Yamaha team at Catalunya, Sachsenring and Laguna Seca.
Yoshikawa, a test rider with Yamaha, will take up Rossi’s ride for three rounds before Yamaha reassess the Italian’s potential return date.
“It is expected that Yoshikawa will be with the Fiat Yamaha Team for at least three races, after which more should be known about Rossi’s expected return date,” the team said in a statement.
The news comes as something of a surprise, with many believing that Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards would be promoted to the factory team that he left in 2007 and Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis said the team had considered all options before opting for the veteran tester.
“We had always planned to use a rider from within the Yamaha Motor and Tech 3 family,” he said. “But for each rider we considered who is in active competition, their move to the Fiat Yamaha Team would have created another problem for their own racing program or for the teams in which they are engaged.”
Jarvis said Yoshikawa had the experience and would also allow the team to fulfil their contractual obligations to series promoters.
“I’m happy to have this chance to stand in for Valentino while he is recovering and to compete in MotoGP again for the first time since 2002, when I raced at Motegi,” said Yoshikawa, who won Japanese Superbike titles in 1994 and 1999.
Yoshikawa has raced once before in MotoGP, competing as a wild card in 2002.
