Rins to miss Germany MotoGP round, Gardner set to be Yamaha’s replacement

Yamaha’s Alex Rins is set to miss this weekend’s MotoGP German Grand Prix following a crash at Assen, with former Tech3 rider Remy Gardner set to replace him.

Six-time grand prix winner Rins was thrown from his M1 at the opening corner of last weekend’s Dutch GP and suffered two small fractures in his right hand and one in his left leg.

Rins flew to Madrid for further checks and underwent surgery on his right hand on Monday morning.

The Spaniard had already planned to have a pin removed from the right leg he badly broke last year at the Italian GP, but this was brought forward given the fact he was already having an operation on his hand.

The surgery is thought to have been a success.

Yamaha is yet to make an official announcement, but he will not race this weekend at the German GP and hopes to make a return at the British GP at the start of August.

While Yamaha is not obliged to field a replacement for Rins in Germany as 10 days since the Spaniard was injured has not elapsed, the Japanese marque is set to field a stand-in.

Gardner, who raced for one season in MotoGP in 2022 with Tech3 KTM before being axed, races for Yamaha in World Superbikes.

The Australian – son of 1987 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner – won the 2021 Moto2 title but struggled on the KTM in MotoGP in 2022 and could only manage a best of 11th.

Yamaha has confirmed to Motorsport.com that Gardner is likely to replace Rins in Germany.

Test rider Cal Crutchlow could not be called up for the Sachsenring race as he is still recovering from a right-hand injury that stopped him from making a wildcard appearance at the Italian GP.

Crutchlow is still scheduled to race at the British GP in August and again in September’s San Marino GP at Misano.

The German GP is the last round before the three-week summer break.