Valencia MotoGP: Niccolo Canepa to miss final race

Niccolo Canepa’s spectacular crash during practice at Phillip Island last month will be his last memory of MotoGP for a while after the Italian was ruled out of this weekend’s season finale in Valencia.

Canepa had missed the recent Sepang clash in Malaysia having suffered a nasty puncture wound in his right arm when he crashed at Phillip Island’s first fast corner.

And any hopes he had of returning for the final premier class clash of 2009 in Spain this weekend have been dashed.

The right arm injury hasn’t sufficiently recovered and a bitterly disappointed Canepa said: “”I am very sad as I will not be able to step on track this weekend at Valencia.

“I really cared about competing in this last Grand Prix of the season to end it with a good result. I want to thank the Pramac Racing Team, Paolo Campinoti and Ducati Corse for this fantastic experience I have lived.

“Now I will have to think about getting back at the best physical conditions and go back on track whichever will be my next sport adventure.”

Canepa’s absence means his vacant Ducati GP9 will again be ridden by Aleix Espargaro.

It will be his first MotoGP experience in front of a massive home crowd on Sunday and he said: “First of all I want to wish to Niccolò Canepa a quick recovery: I hope to see him back on track really soon.

“For me this will be a really particular weekend full of emotions: it will be my first Grand Prix as a MotoGP rider on Spanish soil.

“I will race in front of my fans and I hope to don’t disappoint them. In the previous races ridden with the Pramac Racing Team I went quite well but I still have to improve a lot to compete for better positions.

“Naturally I still need some time, I am still the rider with the less experience in this category and I have a lot to learn.”

Espargaro will replace Canepa full-time in 2010 alongside Finnish rider Mika Kallio.