Anthony West to make MotoGP return for Australian GP
Former factory Kawasaki MotoGP rider Anthony West will return to the premier class for his home grand prix in Australia next weekend as a substitute for Karel Abraham on the AB team's Honda
Abraham has missed several races due to persistent problems with a foot injury sustained in a warm-up crash at Barcelona's Catalunya GP in June.
The Czech rider initially skipped the German and Indianapolis GPs - where Hiroshi Aoyama and Toni Elias made stand-in appearances respectively - before returning for his home event at Brno in mid-August.
But he has now been advised to withdraw from racing again for the three-week run of flyaway races that commences in Japan this weekend.
"It's not much of a surprise, it's been pretty obvious the past few races that it wasn't getting better, but worse," said Abraham.
"The final decision came after Aragon, which was harder on my foot and which I wasn't able to finish.
"We've consulted several specialists, who have warned us that continued stress on the foot could have permanent consequences.
"Unfortunately, in this situation the only thing you can do is to get some rest and patiently start rehab.
"Even though it's been almost four months since the injury, because of the constant stress to the foot it's practically like starting from scratch.
"For the time being, we've decided to skip three races overseas, and then we'll consult the doctors and see if it's possible to start the final race in Valencia."
Japanese veteran Kosuke Akiyoshi, a long-time Suzuki and Honda test rider, has been called up for Motegi this weekend, with West then getting the ride for Phillip Island.
The 34-year-old Australian was a works Kawasaki rider in MotoGP in 2007/08, but he has spent recent seasons in Moto2.
Prior to the AB invitation, he was without a ride after being replaced in the QMMF team by Mika Kallio last month.
AB has yet to announce its rider plans for the final race of Abraham's absence at Sepang.
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