Miguel Oliveira will not race at Motegi and his place on the Trackhouse team's Aprilia will be taken by test rider Lorenzo Savadori. The Portuguese crashed in the first free practice session of the Indonesian GP, fracturing his right wrist. Back in Portugal, Miguel underwent surgery Monday at Lisbon's Sant'Ana Hospital by Dr. Gonçalo Morais Sarmento, who inserted a plate to stabilize the bone. There is still no date for Oliveira's return to the track, and as a result he is also likely to miss the Phillip Island round scheduled in just over two weeks.
The Trackhouse team will have among its ranks in Japan Savadori, who had already replaced Miguel last year in Valencia. "First of all, I want to express my hopes that Miguel can return soon and have a speedy recovery! - said Lorenzo - Regarding the Japanese Grand Prix, I haven't ridden at Motegi since 2010, so it's already more than 14 years ago, it's a nice track and I can't wait to start. I am happy to make my debut for the Trackhouse Racing team and we will obviously continue to work on the bike in order to improve it each time I jump on it."