Michael van der Mark to replace Rossi in Aragon

Yamaha's WorldSBK rider Michael van der Mark will ride Valentino Rossi's YZR-M1 in round 14 of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship at MotorLand Aragón track in Spain from September 22-24.

With Yamaha contractually obliged to run a two-rider team at Aragon, van der Mark has been chosen to deputise on Rossi's bike while the Italian continues to recover from a broken leg sustained in a motocross crash.

Rossi is expected to return to action at Motegi in Japan from October 13-15.

At Aragon, 24-year-old van der Mark will be backed by Rossi's usual crew, providing a similar MotoGP experience to the one fellow Yamaha WorldSBK Alex Lowes was given last year. The Brit replaced Bradley Smith in the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team at the British, San Marino and Aragón Grand Prix.

Unlike Lowes, who had the benefit of some testing mileage in Brno, Czech Republic, prior to taking part in the MotoGP weekends, van der Mark will debut in the premier class on the YZR-M1 without any training. Nevertheless, the three-time Suzuka 8-Hour winner is well accustomed to the demands of working for a factory team.

The Dutchman is also no stranger to the MotoGP paddock, having competed in seven 125cc Grands Prix in 2010, and in the 2011 Moto2 race at Assen.

"I'm excited to be given the opportunity to ride the YZR-M1 at the Aragón MotoGP round," said van der Mark.

"I've never ridden a MotoGP bike before, so this will be a completely new experience for me. I'm very curious to see what it feels like to ride on such a machine. I realise that it won't be easy going straight into an official practice session without any prior testing. Nevertheless, I'm very grateful to Yamaha for the opportunity. I'm sure it will be a great learning experience."

Van der Mark sits seventh in the 2017 WorldSBK title following the last round in Germany.

Said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing: "Having previously used Katsuyuki Nakasuga to fill in for Jorge Lorenzo in 2011 and Alex Lowes to replace Bradley Smith in 2016, we decided that Michael van der Mark should have the opportunity this time around.

"It is never easy to step in to replace another rider and even more difficult to replace Valentino Rossi, but we believe that Michael has all the credentials and experience to do a good job. We will give him our very best support and wish him every success for this exciting opportunity.

"We also hope that Valentino will continue to make a rapid recovery and that we will see him again, back on his YZR-M1, on the earliest possible occasion."