MotoGP 2017 rider line-up completed as Abraham gets Aspar seat
Czech rider Karel Abraham will join the Aspar Ducati team next year, completing the 2017 MotoGP field
Abraham raced in the class between 2011 and '15 with the AB Motoracing outfit led by his father Karel Abraham Sr, recording a best result seventh on three occasions.
The last of those was in the 2012 season finale at Valencia, at the end of his two seasons on Ducatis, and he subsequently raced open-class Aprilia and Honda bikes, failing to score a point in an injury-truncated '15 campaign.
He moved to the World Superbike Championship this year and is currently 18th in the standings on a BMW, with a best result of ninth, and has been part of KTM's MotoGP testing roster.
Abraham will ride a GP15-spec Ducati, with new Aspar recruit Alvaro Bautista getting one of the current 2016 bikes.
"I am really happy: coming back to Ducati, which is my favourite bike, and also thinking about my first season with them, which was my best season [finishing 14th]," he said.
"It's an honour to be a part of this team, which is so famous in the paddock, so professional and so good, and together with Ducati I believe we can make a very good connection, I'm really looking forward to that."
The second Aspar seat was the last up for grabs for 2017, with the bulk of the rider deals done in the first half of the campaign.
When Aspar signed Bautista, the other place looked set to go to either of the incumbents, Eugene Laverty or Yonny Hernandez.
Laverty, not keen to ride an older bike than his team-mate, has elected to return to World Superbikes with Aprilia, while Hernandez is now without a seat.
2017 MOTOGP GRID
Yamaha: Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales
Honda: Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa
Ducati: Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso
Suzuki: Andrea Iannone, Alex Rins
KTM: Bradley Smith, Pol Espargaro
Aprilia: Sam Lowes, Aleix Espargaro
Tech3 Yamaha: Jonas Folger, Johann Zarco
LCR Honda: Cal Crutchlow
Marc VDS Honda: Jack Miller, Tito Rabat
Pramac Ducati: Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci
Avintia Ducati: Hector Barbera, Loris Baz
Aspar Ducati: Alvaro Bautista, Karel Abraham
Previous article
Tech3 didn't expect Bradley Smith to finish race on MotoGP return
Next article
MotoGP moves to limit aero development in 2017 after winglet ban
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
Marc Márquez's first ride after his injury
Marc Marquez continues his recovery
How KTM has ended up with an embarrassment of MotoGP riches
Forming a ladder all the way from Red Bull Rookies Cup to MotoGP, KTM has created a steady stream of top talents in grand prix racing delivering the Austrian marque with the success expected of the brand. Here's how it has gone about it
Why MotoGP will miss its gentle giant
Danilo Petrucci’s days in MotoGP appear numbered, as KTM looks to completely reshuffle the Tech3 team for 2022. Though the Italian's 2021 season so far hasn’t been standout, the giant Italian covertly became a top runner in MotoGP across the last decade and brought with him a personality that world sport sorely needs more of
Why Mir's MotoGP title defence can’t be written off yet
Joan Mir’s defence of his MotoGP title has had an underwhelming start as Suzuki didn’t progress its championship-winning GSX-RR as much as its rivals did with their bikes over the winter. Speaking to Autosport, Mir lays out why his title defence has been stalled so far and why he’s confident title number two is still within reach
The Rossi replacement who’s become the MotoGP leader Yamaha needed
It's been six years since Jorge Lorenzo gave Yamaha its last MotoGP title in 2015. Since his departure at the end of 2016, Yamaha's form has been inconsistent but it has at last found a new talisman to return it to the top spot in the form of a precociously talented Frenchman who currently leads the standings
Why the Vinales/Yamaha MotoGP divorce satisfies both parties
On Monday Yamaha announced it will part ways with Maverick Vinales at the end of the 2021 season - a move requested by the rider. As the already strained relationship between both parties in MotoGP hit rock bottom in recent weeks, this divorce - as ORIOL PUIGDEMONT writes - is good for both Yamaha and Vinales for a number of reasons
The unexpected Rossi/Ducati MotoGP sequel offering redemption
A decade after first linking up with Ducati in what turned out to be an ill-fated period in his MotoGP career, Valentino Rossi has joined forces with the Italian marque once more - this time as a team owner. And the VR46/Ducati tie-up beginning in 2022 has the potential to right the wrongs of Rossi and Ducati's nadir of 2011/2012
Why Yamaha is about to risk losing Valentino Rossi
With Valentino Rossi’s next career move imminent in MotoGP, it is set to have wide-reaching influences on a number of riders and teams on the grid. But one of the biggest impacts will be felt at Yamaha, with its pivotal role in the saga set to see it lose its appointment with ‘The Doctor’
How Marquez beat his Honda in his heroic MotoGP comeback win
Marc Marquez has been through hell and back in the 581 days between his win in the 2019 Valencia season finale and his heroic MotoGP comeback victory in Germany last Sunday. Despite battling physical limitations and a difficult 2021-spec Honda, the Sachsenring provided the perfect storm for the Spaniard to return to the top step
