Yamaha confirms Folger for 2019 testing duties
Yamaha MotoGP team director Massimo Meregalli has confirmed that Jonas Folger will join the team as a test rider for the 2019 season.
Folger, a Tech 3 Yamaha rider in 2017, had his rookie season cut short when he was diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome, and he also decided to sit out 2018 on the eve of the new campaign.
The German rider first appeared back on track in June during a Kalex Moto2 test, where he tested the new Triumph engine the intermediate category will introduce next year.
Folger then emerged as a target for MotoGP teams, mainly Yamaha and KTM, to take on a test rider role for next year.
The 25-year-old attended Yamaha's private test at Aragon last week, which proved to be a precursor to confirmation that Folger will join the team as a test rider in 2019.
"Basically, even if we didn't make any announcement, the choice has been already made some time ago with him," Meregalli told MotoGP.com during Friday practice at Misano.
"We have asked him to join the [Aragon] test because he needs to learn and listen and what the rider comments were about the bike."
With Bradley Smith having joined Aprilia as a test rider, the last question mark regarding test rider roles is whether the retiring Dani Pedrosa joins Mika Kallio in KTM's test team for 2019.
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About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Jonas Folger |
| Teams | Yamaha Factory Racing |
| Author | David Gruz |
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