Milan Pawelec will once again race for Team Gresini this weekend at Assen, joining Sergio Garcia and the Faenza-based team as a replacement for injured Alonso Lopez, who is injured. So the 19-year-old rider from Poland, the reigning Moto2 European Champion, will have another opportunity to shine following his appearance in the previous round at Brno where he took over for his Spanish teammate, who was forced to throw in the towel at the end of the FP1 due to pain in his right hand, which led to him being declared unfit to continue the weekend.
“I hurt my hand during a training session at home. I thought it was just a bruise, but, during the FP1, the pain was worse than I expected, so I went to the medical center and then to the hospital for more thorough tests, which revealed two small fractures in my right hand,” Lopez explained, after being forced to withdraw.
Alonso promptly returned to Madrid following the diagnosis of a fracture at the base of the fourth metacarpal and the hamate bone. He underwent successful surgery for his injured hand on Sunday, June 21st. While the 24-year-old will be focusing on recovery and rehabilitation, Pawelec will be able to continue to gain experience in the the Moto2 World Championship, where he made his debut last year on a wild card entry at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno.
With barely any time to adapt to Lopez’s Kalex—which he rode for the first time on Saturday—the young Polish rider, who's defending his European title this year with the AGR team, posted the 24th-fastest time in qualifying and went on to finish 25th in the race. He’ll be looking to improve on these results at the Assen circuit, hoping they’ll help him secure a full-time spot in the World Championship in 2027.