Within the Aspar team, we thought the deal was done with a view to 2017. The return of the prodigal son Álvaro Bautista was to be followed by the confirmation of Yonny Hernandez already within the walls.
But in Aragon, a rumor spread about a possible return of Karel Abraham...
The Czech rider had a career in MotoGP from 2011 to 2015 with mainly Ducatis and crashes. But the “son of” also has the enormous quality of having a father who presides over the destiny of the Brno route and who was economically successful. Which allows him to pursue an international career currently combined within the Superbike championship aboard a BMW managed by the Milwaukee team.
Ironically, it is this same structure which will line up next year in the Aprilia category, including one for Eugene Laverty, starting from the Aspar team. The latter, on paper, really has nothing to reproach himself for. He has scored 71 points so far in his MotoGP campaign. Against 13 for his teammate Yonny Hernandez. And yet, he is the one who has to go.
A comparison that had not previously shocked Aspar, but which suddenly came to light when the name of Karel Abraham was spread by rumor.
“We need better results from him because he has the same potential as Eugène to do great races” commented Gino Borsoi, Jorge Martinez's field man. “Laverty has had a superb season so far so the target is perhaps a little too high for Yonny. But he is not far away and he must try to achieve the same results as Eugene. For 2017, we have another option on the table and we will make an announcement in the coming weeks”.
The danger is therefore real for the only Colombian on the MotoGP field. That said, nothing is less certain than that a Karel Abraham would be able to do better on the track. The fact remains that the sporting argument is more noble than the economic imperative and the prospect of enlisting a paying pilot.
