MotoGP has released the entry list for the 2019 season which confirms Tito Rabat as Avintia Racing Ducati rider along with other changes.
The grid for 2019 was already confirmed for all the teams apart from Avintia which had only announced Karel Abraham as their rider for the new season. However, the entry list published by MotoGP confirms Rabat as their second rider.
The Spaniard had injured himself in the crash during the Silverstone weekend and was aiming to return this weekend at Valencia. However, even after private tests abode the Ducati Panigale V4, Rabat did not feel 100% ready.
He pushed his return to the two-day test at the same venue after the 2018 MotoGP season where he is scheduled to ride the Desmosedici GP18, with his future teammate Abraham to ride the GP17.
Apart from the rider confirmation, the list also revealed the bike number for the MotoGP rookies which includes a change in the number for Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales who will ditch his #25 for #12 from 2019 onward.
This is the first time that the Spaniard will be using #12 in his career as his birthday falls on January 12. The rookies, Suzuki’s Joan Mir will use #36 with Petronas Yamaha SRT – the official name for the new team – will use #20 as they did in Moto2.
Alma Pramac Racing Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia will have to use #63 – his third preferred number after his initial two, #42 and #21 are already in use by Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli respectively.
The same goes for Red Bull KTM Tech 3’s – the official name for the outfit – Miguel Oliveira who will have to use #88 instead of the #44 which is being used by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro.
Apart from the above team names, the factory Yamaha outfit will simply be known as ‘Yamaha Factory Racing’ after ending its sponsorship deal with Movistar and signing with Monster Energy instead.