Karel Abraham also pulls out of Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on doctors’ advice Karel Abraham has taken his doctors’ advice to pull out of the MotoGP race at Mugello in Italy, which takes place on the weekend of July 13th 15th. Franco Battaini, who started for the team at Sachsenring will not be racing in Italy. Cardion AB Motoracing will therefore probably be unable to enter into the race any replacement rider. Karel Abraham, rider for Cardion AB Motoracing “Unfortunately, the hand is still not 100%, and I have to respect the doctor’s advice that I shouldn’t needlessly put it under excessive strain. I’m going to physiotherapy, trying to do some training, and I believe that the two weeks before the race at Laguna Seca will be enough to ensure I’m 100% ready. I’m really disappointed that I’ve lost out on a series of perhaps the best races of the entire championship: Silverstone, Assen, Sachsenring and Mugello are tracks that I really love, and also places that I’ve done quite well at in the past. Laguna Seca is another on the list, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be back racing by then.” Karel Abraham snr., team manager of Cardion AB Motoracing “Franco Battaini did a good job at Sachsenring, and if it was up to us, we’d have liked to give him another opportunity at Mugello. The problem for us is that Franco is first and foremost a test rider. Ducati have got him testing after the race at Mugello, and the factory want to make sure he’s 100% focused on that task. Currently there are five riders in the world who have experience with the Ducati Desmosedici GP12, and the factory would have no issue letting them start. Besides Rossi, Hayden, Barbera and Kája, that leaves us only Battaini. To use another rider would theoretically be possible, but we’d have to get the go-ahead from Ducati, the racing teams association – IRTA, and the promoter Dorna. To find such a rider is a tall order, and bearing in mind the little amount of time before the race, it’s unlikely we’ll be using any replacement rider.”