After a knee injury in a training accident, Patronas SRT Yamaha MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli is out of the next lap and WorldSBK sensation Garrett Gerloff will replace him.
Morbidelli’s injury is considered to be a ligament injury in his left knee that he sustained during the MotoGP race at Le Mans and worsened during practice between laps.
Yamaha has now named Gerloff as Morbidelli’s successor, after a series of strong results at the end of last season and a good start to 2021. Gerloff is currently in 6th place in the overall standings, just ahead of Michael van der Mark and behind the last Round winner Michael Rubin Rinaldi.
On the subject of matching items
Regarding the opportunity, Gerloff said: “I’m looking forward to the opportunity that presents itself, I’m not someone who runs away from a challenge, so I’m ready to hit the track.
“It’s going to be a new track for me, I like to try new tracks, it looks fun, it’s fast and fluid and it really suits my driving style.
“I’m looking forward to jumping back on the Yamaha M1 and turning the gas.
“We’ll see how things go, but I feel good and I want to thank Yamaha and the team for considering me. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do my best!”
Comparison of MotoGP motorcycle specs
Assen is the first time Gerloff has stepped on a MotoGP machine since substituting for Valentino Rossi at the 2020 European Grand Prix. This time it was COVID-19 that forced the Italian out of his seat and missed two training sessions before finally winning. a negative test result. Gerloff convinced the team and paddock in a short time and quickly got to grips with the bike and the Michelin slick tires.