Cudlin To Ride For Capirossi

Henny Ray Abrams | September 28, 2011

Australian Damian Cudlin will fulfill a life-long dream this weekend when he throws his leg over the Pramac Ducati and takes part in the Japanese MotoGP at Motegi as a replacement rider for the injured Loris Capirossi.”It’s hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me,” said the 28-year-old Cudlin. â€¨”I’ve dreamed about starting in MotoGP since I was a boy, and until now it’s be en just that – a dream. Now it’s become a reality and to be honest, I’m still in shock!”Cudlin, whose previous MotoGP experience is testing the testing the 2012 BMW-powered Suter CRT bike earlier in the year, knows it’s going to be a tough weekend. It will be his first time on the bike and his first time at Motegi.”I’m under no illusions about how difficult this race will be,” he said. “I’ve never ridden a real MotoGP bike before and I’ve never been to Motegi either, so realistically my expectations can’t be too high. I just want to do the best job I can, enjoy the experience, and just see what happens. I’ve really got nothing to lose, so why not?â€¨â€¨I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this. I still can’t believe I’ll be replacing Loris Capirossi – I had posters of him on my wall as a kid!”Cudlin says Sito Pons recommended him to the Pramac team. Cudlin made his lone Grand Prix start for Pons’ team in the 2010 Moto2 German Grand Prix, finishing an impressive seventh after qualifying 22nd.”I just want to thank Sito Pons for recommending me, the Pramac Racing Team for giving me a chance, and also my current BMW team for allowing me to use this opportunity,” Cudlin said. “I hope I can make everyone proud that they took a chance with a guy like me.”Cudlin was on the BMW Motorrad France 99 team that finished seventh in the Le Mans 24 Hour last weekend.Capirossi, who will retire at the end of this season, dislocated his right shoulder for a second time this year at Aragon.â€¨The Italian hopes to return for the final three races of the season.