LCR Honda rider Alex Rins will make his return to MotoGP action in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, having been sidelined by injury since June's Mugello round. In a crash during the sprint race of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Rins broke his right leg. As a result, he skipped the previous seven Grand Prix rounds, including the inaugural Bharat GP round last weekend. As per a recent development, the Spanish MotoGP rider has successfully cleared his medical inspections and will be rejoining LCR on their travel to Japan for Honda's home race. While Rins was sidelined, Honda test rider Stefan Bradl and World Superbike rider Iker Lecuon took turns in his LCR seat.
MotoGP: Alex Rins 2023 Season So Far
In the wake of Suzuki's surprising exit at the end of the MotoGP 2022 season, Rins switched to LCR Honda and ended HRC's winless record at the COTA race. Despite this, Rins has never finished a race inside the top ten, and the 27-year-old was frustrated with the slow supply of new parts to the satellite LCR garage while he nurses a fractured leg suffered at Mugello.
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After breaking his right leg in a crash during the sprint race at the Italian Grand Prix, Rins was unable to compete in the subsequent seven GPs. However, LCR declared that Rins would travel to Japan to compete as the Spanish rider passed his medical tests. This Japanese GP weekend will mark Rins' return to racing after a lengthy layoff of over three months.
#JapaneseGP ???????? here we are! Almost 4 months after the injury we will ride a #MotoGP bike again
A por el GP de Japón ???????? Casi 4 meses después de la lesión nos subimos a la moto de @lcr_team de nuevo #42ins #LCRTeam #Honda #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/yU8CwvtblN— Alex Rins (@Rins42) September 27, 2023
The announcement of Rins' comeback signifies that Honda will have all of its MotoGP riders competing simultaneously for the first time since the French Grand Prix in May. The LCR Honda squad now possesses a total of 91 points, positioning them in ninth place among all participating teams. Rins currently holds a position of 15th in the riders' standings of the championship, having accumulated a total of 47 points.
MotoGP: Alex Rins’ Yamaha Switch for 2024
In August, Yamaha made an official announcement regarding the inclusion of Alex Rins in the Yamaha factory team alongside Fabio Quartararo for the 2024 MotoGP season. The two-year HRC contract reportedly includes a clause allowing the Spanish rider to leave the team if a factory team offers him an opening. Unlike the Honda, Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia, the M1 motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha features an inline engine design, similar to that of the GSX-RR of Suzuki.
Yamaha, despite having the 2021 world champion Quartararo on its team, is currently ranked second-to-last among manufacturers' championship standings. The 2023 MotoGP season has been difficult for the Japanese Yamaha and Honda factories.
The premier class championship has been shared between Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda since 1975, except for Casey Stoner's spectacular 2007 season and Francesco Bagnaia's remarkable recovery from 91 points adrift to win the title last year.
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