Bautista to replace Lorenzo at Phillip Island

Alvaro Bautista said he will be realising a dream when he rides for Ducati at Phillip Island in the absence of Jorge Lorenzo.

Alvaro Bautista in action at the Japanese MotoGP.

Alvaro Bautista will replace injured Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo at the Australian MotoGP next weekend.

Lorenzo did not race in the Japanese MotoGP on Sunday due to a fractured wrist , which he sustained in Thailand.

Three-time MotoGP world champion Lorenzo will miss a third consecutive round at Phillip Island after flying home for treatment, but hopes to return in Malaysia next month.

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Angel Nieto's Bautista will realise a dream by stepping in for Lorenzo on the back of finishing fifth at Motegi, where Marc Marquez sealed a fifth MotoGP title.

Bautista said: "I want to thank Angel Nieto Team, Jorge Martínez 'Aspar' and all his crew, because they let me compete with the official Ducati team in the Australian GP. I also want to thank Ducati for the opportunity to work with them in their box.

"It will be a weekend in which I will try to learn and work as best I can, with no objective in mind. It is an illusion to be able to compete with a factory, and to do it with Ducati is a dream come true."

Bautista is set to switch to World Superbikes with Ducati in 2019 after nine years in MotoGP.