{"id":3290,"date":"2026-10-03T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3290"},"modified":"2026-10-03T04:57:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:57:56","slug":"honda-turns-to-recovering-aleix-espargaro-as-injuries-leave-it-short-of-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/honda-turns-to-recovering-aleix-espargaro-as-injuries-leave-it-short-of-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda turns to recovering Aleix Espargar\u00f3 as injuries leave it short of riders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aleix Espargar\u00f3 has been called up to replace Joan Mir in Indonesia<\/strong>, according to reporting by <em>Motorsport.com<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nakagami\u2019s collarbone fracture and Chantra\u2019s WorldSBK commitments reduced Honda\u2019s options.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Espargar\u00f3 is still recovering from a spinal injury sustained during testing at Sepang.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Honda has turned to Aleix Espargar\u00f3 for the Indonesian <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP<\/a> round<\/strong>, with Joan Mir still unavailable and Takaaki Nakagami injured. According to information obtained by <em>Motorsport.com<\/em>, the test rider has been asked to arrange his trip to Mandalika for next weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The call-up changes Honda\u2019s recovery plans for Espargar\u00f3. The Spaniard suffered a serious injury at the base of his spine during an April test at Sepang and returned to riding at Mugello two weeks ago, after five months of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Nakagami\u2019s accident at Motegi removed another replacement option.<\/strong> The Japanese rider <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/video-nakagami-fractures-collarbone-in-japanese-motogp-practice-and-misses-home-race\/\">fractured his left collarbone in Friday\u2019s opening practice<\/a>, ending his home wildcard appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020315453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RD15_Austria_Nakagami_2026-06237-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Takaaki Nakagami (Photo: Honda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Honda needs Espargar\u00f3 in Indonesia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mir\u2019s absence covers both Japan and Indonesia. Honda selected Somkiat Chantra to ride his bike at Motegi, but the Thai rider has WorldSBK commitments at Estoril next weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Chantra unavailable and Nakagami injured, Honda has called on Espargar\u00f3. His return would be his first Grand Prix appearance since 2025, when he began racing for the manufacturer alongside his testing duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nakagami\u2019s injury also affects Honda\u2019s 2027 project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shortage extends beyond filling a race seat. <strong>Honda is developing its new 850cc motorcycle for 2027<\/strong>, and Nakagami has carried a significant share of that work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honda also has two test days planned in Malaysia after the Indonesian round. If those sessions proceed, Espargar\u00f3 is the likely rider to continue development, adding testing responsibilities to his return to competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The immediate challenge is therefore to cover Mir\u2019s absence while managing Espargar\u00f3\u2019s recovery and maintaining progress on the next-generation machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP continues this weekend, from 2\u20134 October, in Japan. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action at Motegi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who won the Japanese MotoGP race today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marc M\u00e1rquez won the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, finishing 1.363s ahead of Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, while M\u00e1rquez secured a weekend double after also winning Saturday\u2019s Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who leads the MotoGP championship after the Japanese GP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jorge Mart\u00edn remains the MotoGP championship leader with 333 points, just 2 ahead of Marc M\u00e1rquez on 331. M\u00e1rquez\u2019s two victories in Japan reduced the gap from 12 points at the start of the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the next MotoGP race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next MotoGP race is the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The weekend runs from 9\u201311 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who will replace Joan Mir at the Indonesian MotoGP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honda has called up <strong>Aleix Espargar\u00f3<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Honda changes its plans for Mandalika as Nakagami\u2019s fractured collarbone adds to a rider shortage and complicates development of the 2027 bike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020316800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Aleix Espargar\u00f3","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Honda","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[240,35,32],"42wp_author":[140],"class_list":["post-3290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-aleix-espargaro","tag-honda","tag-motogp","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3290"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3293,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3290\/revisions\/3293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020316800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3290"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}