Fernandez to Fill In For Rea
Y
amaha Motor Europe con-
firmed that Augusto Fernan-
dez will step in for the injured
Jonathan Rea in the second
round of the 2025 FIM Super-
bike World Championship at
the Autodromo Internacional do
Algarve.
Rea was ruled unfit for the
opening round of the champion-
ship in Australia after a crash in
the traditional preseason test
at the Phillip Island Grand Prix
Circuit left him with multiple
fractures to his left foot. The
Northern Irishman returned
home to Belfast in the days
following the crash and suc-
cessfully underwent surgery on
Friday, February 21. The exact
timeframe for rehabilitation has
yet to be determined, but Rea
will miss the upcoming Portimao
test (March 14-15) and round
two (March 28-30).
Yamaha Factory Racing Mo
-
toGP test rider Augusto Fernan-
dez will stand in for the six-time
World Champion, joining the
Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK
Official Team for both the test
and race in Portimao.
Twenty-seven-year-old Fer
-
nandez, 2022 Moto2 World
Champion, joined Yamaha as
its MotoGP test rider after two
years racing in the premier class.
While he is less familiar with the
R1 WorldSBK and Pirelli tires,
the two-day test ahead of the
second round will provide the
Spaniard with the opportunity to
get used to the bike.
"First of all, I would like to
send my best wishes for a
speedy recovery to Jonathan
Rea and to thank Yamaha for
this opportunity," said Fernan
-
dez. "This will be my first experi-
ence of racing with the R1 but
also of racing in WorldSBK. I
can't wait to get to the Portimao
test to spend some time on the
bike and to see how it feels."
"Jonathan has been sorely
missed here in Phillip Island,"
said Niccolo Canepa, Road Rac
-
ing Sporting Manager, Yamaha
Motor Europe. "But we are happy
that the surgery on his injuries
was successful and that he has
now started the recovery pro-
cess. We hope to see him fully
fit and back on the bike as soon
as possible. In the meantime,
we spoke with Augusto and
Yamaha Motor Racing about the
possibility he could stand in for
Jonathan in Portimao, and he
was keen to do so. He is familiar
with the circuit, and with the test
scheduled ahead of the race, we
can give him track time with the
R1 WorldSBK ahead of the event.
We are looking forward to wel
-
coming Augusto to the team and
to the WorldSBK paddock."
CN
VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P33
Augusto Fernandez
will fill in for the
injured Jonathan Rea
at the next WorldSBK
round in Portimao.
Rea is out of action for a while after
having surgery on his injured foot.
