Cudlin to ride at Phillip Island

Barbera suffered a compound fracture to his collarbone in a fall at Motegi. The young Spaniard underwent surgery on the fracture on October 5. Soon after, the Mapfre Aspar team confirmed that the recovery time from the surgery meant Barbera wouldn't be fit to ride in the Australian MotoGP round.

Cudlin announced on Friday that he had secured the fill-in ride for Barbera and is determined to put in a better result for his second MotoGP ride this season at his 'home' track.

"To get the call up the first time to replace Loris was a big enough shock, but to get another start in MotoGP for another team at the very next race is just unbelievable to me." Cudlin explained.
"You wait your whole life to get a shot at MotoGP and then suddenly two come along at once. If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up!"

Cudlin's second chance this season comes after he filled in for the injured Loris Capirossi at the Motegi MotoGP round. A solid ride came undone close to the finish when the Aussie crashed out.

"Obviously in Motegi I had a lot to learn in a short space of time which made things a bit tougher for me, but at least at Phillip Island I'll know which way the track goes. I haven't actually ridden there for a long time, not since my Australian Superbike days back in 2004 or 2005, but I've got a good memory and to ride a MotoGP bike around there should be unreal. I think a lot of my family and friends; probably half of Taree will be coming down to cheer me on, so I'll definitely have plenty of support. I can't wait."

Cudlin will arrive in Australia on Wednesday in preparation for Friday's first practice session at Phillip Island.

"I must thank the Mapfre Aspar Team for giving me this opportunity to race at home. It should be a great experience and I just want to enjoy every minute of it. I also want to thank everyone who's sent me messages of support in the last couple of weeks. It's blown me away and I hope to make everyone proud at Phillip Island."

image: motogp.com