With Jacob Roulstone forced to stay off the track for at least six weeks, so that he can recover after injuring his neck during a private training session, the KTM Tech3 Moto3 team immediately ran for cover and found a replacement. Joel Esteban will be stepping into Roulstone's shoes during the two Portimão test sessions scheduled for February 10th to 11th and February 18th to 20th, and he'll most likely be the one to join Valentin Perrone in the first GP of the season at the Buriram circuit.
"I'm happy and proud of this opportunity," the Spanish rider said. He'll be involved in the JuniorGP starting May 4th on Estoril and was with CFMoto Aspar Racing as David Alonso's partner in the last World Championship. "My goal is to help the team and, for that, I'll give it my all. I wish Jacob a speedy recovery and thank Hervé Poncharal for trusting me in this role."
"We're sorry for what happened. Training during the break isn't risk-free, but it's part of the winter preparation. Roulstone's accident could've been without consequences, but that wasn't the case for him, so he'll be forced to sit out for a while to recover as best as he can," the French manager commented. "It was important for us to find a competitive replacement. Joel is coming from a good debut and deserves another chance in the category. We'd also like to thank Jorge Martinez Aspar and Nicolas Terol for giving us the chance to give life to what, I'm convinced, will be a great collaboration."