After much speculation as to who would replace Franco Morbidelli at the next rounds of the MotoGP Championship, it?s been revealed. Yamaha?s official test rider Cal Crutchlow will replace the injured Morbidelli at the next three rounds. That?s the Styrian GP (Red Bull Ring), the Austrian GP (also Red Bull Ring) and the British GP (Silverstone).

Morbidelli sustained a knee injury just before the Assen round (where Garrett Gerloff rode his bike), and he?s had some surgery on it, but he?s still not recovered. And by the sound of this latest news, he?s not likely to be fully fit for at least another month. I don’t suppose Yamaha actually know when he’ll be back up to full fitness. If ever…

In the mean time I?m sure Cal Crutchlow is more than replace Morbidelli for three rounds though. Especially with one of them being his home round at Silverstone. He might even be able to look forward to some trackside fans, cheering him on and throwing their knickers at him. Possibly. He?s had some reasonable results at Silverstone in the past, including a second in 2016. And being Yamaha?s factory test rider, he?ll know his way round the M1 fairly well.
He?s got two rounds at the Red Bull Ring first to get his head back into competition mode. I wonder what Valentino Rossi, at the other side of the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team garage, thinks about it. Will he be pleased to see Crutchlow back" Probably not if Cal beats him, which if you ask me, is...