Yamaha Calls up MotoGP Test Rider in Place of Jonathan Rea
Yamaha has called up Augusto Fernandez to replace the injured Jonathan Rea for the Portuguese WorldSBK round
Augusto Fernandez will make his first-ever appearance in WorldSBK when he replaces Jonathan Rea at Pata Yamaha for round two of the season in Portimao.
A six-time WorldSBK champion, Rea saw his 2025 campaign (his second with Yamaha) get off to the worst possible start just days before the season-opener in Phillip Island, as he suffered multiple fractures in his left foot during a crash on day one of the test.
Due to the tight turnaround no replacement was named, however, team manager Paul Denning claimed there was a good chance of that changing when racing returned to Europe. Yamaha has now confirmed that it will be Augusto Fernandez making his debut on the R1.
Fernandez joined Yamaha at the end of 2024 in a test rider role after losing his full-time GasGas KTM seat, and the 2022 Moto2 world champion has joined the Iwata-based company as part of its new test team which still features Cal Crutchlow.
Fernandez will replace Rea after the former Kawasaki great recently underwent surgery in Belfast, with the Spaniard joining Andrea Locatelli who was the top Yamaha rider throughout the Australian round last weekend, although the Italian only scored 13 points in three races.
“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,” Fernandez said. “This will be my first experience of racing with the R1 but also of racing in WorldSBK. I can’t wait to get to the Portimão test to spend some time on the bike and to see how it feels.”
Niccolo Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe road racing sporting manager, added: “Jonathan [Rea] has been sorely missed here in Phillip Island, but we are happy that the surgery on his injuries was successful and that he has now started the recovery process.
“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 Portimão and he was keen to do so.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
