Photo: MotoGP.com
Paul Bird's PBM MotoGP team is reorganizing and it's somewhat funny to see how an injured rider affects teams which seem to have nothing in common with his own.
The injured rider is of course, Ben Spies, who will most likely sit out through the rest of the 2013 season. His team Pramac Ducati could not simply afford to keep on losing points so they went for a replacement rider, Yonny Hernandez who was more than willing to swing a leg over a satellite Ducati.
Hernandez was under contract with Paul Bird's team, but Ducati talked PBM into an agreement to allow the Colombian to terminate his contract earlier, and race in the Borgo Panigale livery through Valencia, or at least until Spies was back. Which again, is highly unlikely until the end of 2013.
This move left PBM one rider short, with Michael Laverty being the only pilot. Paul Bird announced he will bring in Oz-based rider Damian Cudlin, for at least the Aragon and the Phillip Island rounds. And then there's the reorganizing moves.
Hernandez' former bike, an ART, will be ridden by Laverty, and this is expected to bring in better result, especially as Michael was very pleased with it after the test at Misano. Cudlin, accustomed with the duties of a development rider, will take over the PBM own-design machine and help the team make it better.
Hernandez is 20th in the world standings with 7 points, while Laverty sits in the 24th position with 3. Next Sunday brings MotoGP racing in Spain again, at Motorland Aragon.
Hernandez was under contract with Paul Bird's team, but Ducati talked PBM into an agreement to allow the Colombian to terminate his contract earlier, and race in the Borgo Panigale livery through Valencia, or at least until Spies was back. Which again, is highly unlikely until the end of 2013.
This move left PBM one rider short, with Michael Laverty being the only pilot. Paul Bird announced he will bring in Oz-based rider Damian Cudlin, for at least the Aragon and the Phillip Island rounds. And then there's the reorganizing moves.
Hernandez' former bike, an ART, will be ridden by Laverty, and this is expected to bring in better result, especially as Michael was very pleased with it after the test at Misano. Cudlin, accustomed with the duties of a development rider, will take over the PBM own-design machine and help the team make it better.
Hernandez is 20th in the world standings with 7 points, while Laverty sits in the 24th position with 3. Next Sunday brings MotoGP racing in Spain again, at Motorland Aragon.
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