Checa not feeling pressure on return

The 38-year-old Spaniard has been called up by Pramac after it parted company with Mika Kallio, who had struggled this season and was affected by a persistent shoulder injury.

Checa has not raced in MotoGP since losing his LCR Honda drive at the end of the 2007 season, but he impressed by taking third in this year's World Superbike standings with Althea Ducati - a performance that earned him the Pramac chance.

"I do not feel any pressure, I'll just have to go on track and have fun to do my job," said Checa. "This will be a great adventure for me."

Although Checa has had a test on a Ducati MotoGP bike prior to his comeback, he said he was not underestimating how much acclimatisation it would take being back in grand prix racing after his Superbike seasons.

"Of course the bike with the number 71 on the livery and the Pramac Racing Team colours will be very different from the one I have been able to ride during this year," Checa said, "but I'll do my best to repay the trust that the Italian team has placed in me."

Checa originally raced in MotoGP from 1995 to 2007, taking two grand prix wins and finishing a career-best fourth in the 1998 world championship. With Pramac pairing the Spanish veteran with 21-year-old Aleix Espargaro for Estoril and Valencia, it will have both the youngest and the oldest riders in the MotoGP field.