Rizla Suzuki will have a solo representative at this weekend’s Motorland Aragón Grand Prix in Spain with Álvaro Bautista flying the flag after Loris Capirossi was ruled out with a hand injury.

Capirossi has been forced to miss the race due to the injury sustained in the first lap collision with Nicky Hayden in Misano. The surgery to re-attach the tendon to his right-hand little finger is healing well but, on the advice of his surgeon, he must keep it immobilised for at least another week in order to avoid damaging the repair.

“I am extremely disappointed not to be racing at Aragón, but the surgeon has told me to rest the hand for another week,” Capirossi said. “I am still feeling a bit of pain and I’m going to the hospital every day to have the wound cleaned and dressed, so although I could possibly be able to ride I wouldn’t be fit enough and it might jeopardise my attendance and competitiveness at Motegi if I did – so it’s best to stay at home.

“I wish Álvaro all the best for the weekend and hope that he gets a good result for us – we certainly need one. I’ll be back for the trio of races next month and will be looking to get some good results at circuits where I know we can go well.”

Aragón is a brand new venue on the MotoGP schedule and the riders will be given an extra session to acclimatise themselves with the 5.078-kilometre track, as the Friday morning free practice is re-introduced into the timetable.

The Motorland Aragón circuit is situated near Alcaniz, approximately 120kms from Zaragoza. The track was built in 2009 and features seven right-hand and 10 left-hand corners over its anti-clockwise layout.

The longest straight is just under a kilometre in length and with a selection of flowing curves, tight hairpins and fast sweeping bends the circuit looks like providing plenty of entertainment.