Former Aspar MotoGP rider Yonny Hernandez will be stepping in for Jonas Folger to assist the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team during the Sepang winter test.
The 29 year old Columbian will showcase his skills for the very first time on board the Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike.
Hernandez is also said to be one of the riders shortlisted for the 2018 rider with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team has announced that Yonny Hernandez will be replacing in for Jonas Folger this coming weekend at the Sepang winter test 2018. The 29 year old Columbian was selected for his vast experience on MotoGP machinery of over five years.
The former Pull&Bear Aspar team rider is also said to be one of the riders in the shortlist to step in for the recuperating Folger. The MotoGP field was stunned when Folger announced earlier this month that he won’t be racing this season with plans to fully recover from a diagnosed condition of Gilbert Syndrome.
According to Hernandez, “I’m obviously happy for myself to get such a fantastic opportunity riding a MotoGP bike again. I’m delighted I can do the test and work with a very good team and machine. I’m truly curious to ride a Yamaha bike, because in all my career I was sitting on a Ducati. I want to thank the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team and especially Herve Poncharal for giving me this unique chance.”
Tech 3’s Team Principal Herve Poncharal added by saying “I am pleased to give him this possibility to test for three days and with it giving him the chance to show his potential to both, Yamaha Motor Corporation and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. Yet, no permanent decision will be taken before we fly back from Sepang. For sure, we will analyze in detail how Yonny performs during this test and obviously, he is one of the riders on our shortlist for 2018.”
The Monster Yamaha Tech outfit plans to reveal their 2018 rider this coming February during the pre-season testing in Thailand. This Sunday will be quite an interesting session where we will get to see how Yonny Hernandez will perform on board the Yamaha M1 MotoGP machinery.
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Source: MotoGP
