IN
THE
WIND
P48
ABRAHAM STAYS,
NAKAGAMI GETS
PROMOTED
K
arel Abraham will stay with
the Aspar Pull&Bear Ducati
team alongside Alvaro Bautista
for the 2018 MotoGP season, it
has been confirmed.
Former Moto2 race winner
Abraham joined Aspar after a
frustrating season in the WorldS-
BK series with Milwaukee BMW
and has impressed so far in
2017, scoring two top 10 places
and qualifying second at the
Argentina Grand Prix.
"I am very happy to have re-
signed with the Aspar team and
to continue with the same group
of people is very important to
me," said Abraham, whose family
owns the Brno MotoGP circuit.
"I am already looking forward
to a new challenge next season
but right now I need to concen-
trate on the rest of this season,
which is the most important."
Meanwhile, 2016 Assen
Moto2 race winner Takaaki
Nakagami has been promoted to
the LCR Honda squad alongside
Cal Crutchlow for 2017.
Nakagami, 25, has been
campaigning in the Moto2 class
since 2012 and his promotion to
LCR makes him the first Japa-
nese rider to have a full-time Mo-
toGP place since HRC test rider
Hiroshi Aoyama in 2014. CN
TITO RABAT'S TITLE BIKE STOLEN
T
he Marc VDS Kalex ridden by Spaniard Tito Rabat to the 2014 MotoGP
World Championship win has been stolen from the team's headquarters in
Gosselies, Belgium, at 2:00 am on August 16.
Rabat used the machine to win the championship by a
whopping 57 points ahead of teammate Mika Kallio, and has
appealed to the public for help.
"Help us get back a meaningful bike for both the team and
me," Rabat said via Twitter. "If someone can provide any infor-
mation please contact the team."
The stolen bike would have next to no value for anyone
other than a black-market collector. It's still graced with the
bodywork Rabat used in 2014, making it instantly recogniz-
able to anyone who follows the series. CN
Thieving scum have
stolen Rabat's Moto2
World Championship-
winning bike.
After some
impressive
performances in
2017, Abraham will
be back in MotoGP
for 2018.
Nakagami will get a promotion to
the LCR Honda squad for 2018.
