Takaaki Nakagami to replace injured Luca Marini at Italian GP

Takaaki Nakagami will take the place of injured Luca Marini in the factory Honda team for next week’s Italian GP at Mugello — according to Motorsport.com.

Marini remains sidelined from a serious injury sustained during Suzuka 8 Hours testing in Japan a few weeks ago. After previously fielding just one rider in Aragon, the Japanese team is now required to find a replacement for Marini.

Nakagami, former LCR Honda rider turned test rider, achieved surprising results as a wildcard at this season’s French GP — finishing sixth thanks to perfect tire strategy and bike swap timing in a flag-to-flag race.

Honda currently has three test riders under new technical director Romano Albesiano:

• Takaaki Nakagami
• Aleix Espargaro
• Stefan Bradl

If Marini’s absence continues, Honda may consider Espargaro — a three-time MotoGP race winner — as a replacement for the Italian rider.