Pramac confirms Checa for final races

Finn Kallio had stepped down from his seat following the last race and Checa was expected to be the man to replace him.

The move was confirmed by Pramac ahead of this weekend's race at Estoril.

Checa, 38, tested a works Ducati GP10 at Estoril earlier this month as a reward for his Superbike performances this season.

The Spanish rider last competed in MotoGP in 2007.

"I really want to thank the Pramac Racing Team for believing in me and for this wonderful gift," said Checa. "After three years it's a great pleasure for me to return to the MotoGP world, where I have some wonderful memories.

"So many things have changed over three years, both in the mechanics of the bikes and in the MotoGP world, but many others had remained unchanged.

"I know I should not expect too much because the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 is very different from the bike which I have run this year, but I know many of my next opponents and I will do my best to fight shoulder to shoulder with them to try to finish these two races with positive results."

Team boss Paolo Campinoti added: "After the decision taken by Mika Kallio to not take part to the last two races, we decided to call a rider with experience and talent that could give us a good end of season.

"Thanks also to consulting with Ducati, we decided to call after three years of absence from MotoGP races, the Spaniard Carlos Checa, who was riding this year a Ducati in the Superbike World Championship.

"Of course it will be important for him to run as much as possible on Estoril's track during the free practice sessions so that he can be able to improve as much as possible his feeling with the bike. We know about his undisputed talent and potential, this is also the reason why I cannot hide that we expect from him a good result in both races that he will race with the colours of the Pramac Racing Team."