Bastianini: "I'm finally back on track"

Joining the factory Ducati team on the back of four victories for Gresini last season, Bastianini disastrously broke his shoulder when he was taken down by Luca Marini in the opening Portimao Sprint.

That kept Bastianini sidelined until round 4 at Jerez, where he made a brief comeback before withdrawing due to the pain.

Bastianini’s shoulder had improved sufficiently to rejoin the championship from round 6 at Mugello, but a Turn 1 pile-up in Catalunya (round 11) sent him back to hospital with hand and ankle fractures.

Absent from the past three rounds, Bastianini will now return at Mandalika, where he will face a long lap penalty for triggering the Catalunya incident.

"I'm finally back on track with my team,” said Bastianini, who has a best finish of eighth so far this year. “Having had to skip other races just as I was starting to feel comfortable on the Desmosedici GP was not what we needed.

“But after the operation, it was important to dedicate a few weeks to recover as best I could, even if I'm still not 100%.

“Now, we will have to restart calmly and dedicate these last races to settle down and be competitive as soon as possible. So I don't have high expectations for this weekend; I just want to work in the best possible way with my team."

The #23’s return will be a relief for Ducati with test rider Michele Pirro, who had been replacing Bastianini, himself injured in a clash at the Italian Superbike title decider.

Fellow injured riders Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez and, possibly, Alex Rins are also set to attempt a return this weekend, which will require passing a medical check on Thursday.

Bastianini finished eleventh for Gresini in last year’s wet Mandalika race.