Aleix Espargaro to ride in Assen

Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro, older brother of current 125cc rider Pol Espargaro, will replace injured Balasz Nemeth at Assen this weekend.
With Nemeth adviced to rest his injured hand for about a month, he'll not be able to participate in the Dutch GP, giving Espargaro a chance to ride a 250cc machine once more.
Espargaro was a part of the official Lotus Aprilia team last year which dissolved after the departure of Dani Amatriain. Due to the economic situatuon Espargaro was not able to find another ride for the 2009 season, but is currently riding the newly developed Promo Racing Moto2 machine in the Spanish Championship.



Aleix Espargaro: In Assen I rode a 250cc bike for the first time, everything was well and I have good memories of that first experience. At the moment I am involved in a project with a Moto2 and very satisfied, but this opportunity is a dream. It's been a while since I've ridden a 250cc bike, but I don't think they have changed so much in a year, so there will be a lot of work on Thursday and Friday to be competitive. I am very motivated, because I didn't participate in a world championship round since last season. It is early to give a prognosis, but to finish among the Top 6 would be a great result. I can't wait to arrive in Holland, meet the team and start riding."

Mike Di Meglio underwent successful surgery

Mapfre Aspar rider Mike Di Meglio underwent surgery in the Hospital Universitario Policlínico de Modena today. The Frenchman who moved up to 250cc this season developed chronic compartment syndrome in his right arm already through preseason, but it wasn't until the Spanish GP in Jerez that it seriously started to hamper his performance. It got worse during last weekend's Italian GP and Di Meglio was in such pain that he had an immediate consultation with the doctors on Monday to decide whether or not surgery was necessary.
The operation this afternoon was successful, the French rider will stay at the hospital overnight for observation and provided everything looks normal he can be discharged tomorrow. His participation in the Catalunya round in two weeks time is certain, but it remains to be seen if he can be back at full fitness by then.



Background

Chronic compartment syndrome in the forearm (also known as arm-pump) is a well-known problem for motorcycle racers. It is a painful condition that appears when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels, in racing mostly caused by the severe pressure during braking. This prevents nourishment from reaching nerve and muscle cells which can occasionally also result in numbness or difficulty moving.
Especially when riders start racing faster and heavier bikes, for example after moving from 125cc to 250cc or from 250cc to MotoGP, the sudden increased pressure on the forearm muscles often cause the syndrome. Although the condition itself is rare in the general population, the necessary surgery is a relatively routine procedure and many riders had to be operated on during their rookie seasons in a new class, recovering fairly quickly. Other riders having had the surgery include Nicky Hayden, Toni Elias, Marco Melandri, Tom Lüthi and Jorge Lorenzo.
More info here.

New sponsor for Talmacsi

Aspar rider Gabor Talmacsi is one of the many people in the paddock who really felt the impact of the financial crisis after almost all of his sponsors weren't able to continue the sponsorship. Luckly the celebrity status in his Hungarian home country meant he was able to find new financial support quickly, among others in the form of the Hungarian circuit Balatonring which was set to make a first appearance in the MotoGP calendar this year. However, after the Hungarian race was cancelled for this year due to delays in the construction of the circuit, Gabor will no longer have the Balatonring as his main sponsor. Instead he had Logistic Land on his bike during the last test in Estoril. The final main sponsor however will be decided by Team Aspar and probably revealed in the coming IRTA test in Jerez, starting on March 25th.

Bad news for Talmacsi

The Budapest Times report that Aspar rider and former 125cc world champion Gábor Talmácsi has lost all but one of his sponsors, forcing the team to restructure the budget for the current year. "We are mostly trying to save money on travel costs", Talmácsi’s manager Stefano Favaro told Inforádio last Thursday, adding that smaller companies were revoking their earlier promises one after another because of the global financial crisis. Favaro said that the only remaining sponsor for the motorcyclist is Hungarian oil corporation MOL, but Talmácsi’s team is in negotiations, so his circle of supporters could grow before the season starts in Qatar on 12 April.

We hope for the best for Talma and wish him successful negotiations with his sponsors, so we'll see him again at the start of the season.

Update: 250cc Aspar Team 2009

As we previously reported, Hector Faubel and Sergio Gadea have both been released from Team Aspar. It has now been confirmed that Hector Faubel will join the Thai Honda team next season and get an official 2007 Honda. Mike Di Meglio will take his seat on the Aprilia RSW in the official Aspar Team next season while teammate Alvaro Bautista will again ride the Aprilia RSA.
Reports about Alex Debon possibly joining the ranks of Team Aspar could not be confirmed, so the 250cc structure will most likely look like this:

Mapfre Aspar Team:

• Alvaro Bautista
• Mike Di Meglio

MOL Aspar Team:

• Gabor Talmacsi
  

Aspar Team structure 2009

According to various Spanish news reports, Jorge Martinez has released current Aspar riders Sergio Gadea and Hector Faubel from the team and they will not ride in the Aspar colours next season.
Both riders were in talks with other teams to get another ride for next year, but in the end both wanted to stay with the Aspar Team. But team owner Martinez did not want that anymore.

New additions for the team next year are said to be current replacement rider Adrian Martin in the 125cc class and Alex Debon in the 250cc class. Talks with experienced rider Debon seem to have developed quite far already and he is said to get an official Aprilia RSA bike next season when he rides in the Aspar livery.
Other news however report that 125cc world champion Mike Di Meglio has already signed a contract with Aspar to ride in the 250cc team next season. Since Aspar will support a Hungarian team with Gabor Talmacsi as well, it is not clear yet whether Di Meglio will join Álvaro Bautista in the official team and Debon will be with the Hungarian sponsored team or vice versa.

If the reports prove to be true, the full structure for the 2009 squad would look like this:

125cc:

• Bradley Smith
• Julian Simon
• Adrian Martin

250cc Aspar Team:

• Álvaro Bautista
• Mike Di Meglio / Alex Debon

250cc MOL Aspar Team:

• Gabor Talmacsi
• Mike Di Meglio / Alex Debon