Smith to be replaced by Tulovic for round one
Posted on Apr 27, 2022 by WithU GRT RNF MotoE
This weekend marks the opening round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, but WithU GRT RNG MotoE Racing rider Bradley Smith will unluckily not be competing. Following his crash at the 24 hours Endurance race in Le Mans less than two weeks ago, the Brit had a heavy fall at the start and suffered a fractured vertebra.
Therefore, he will not get the green light of the doctors to start and decided together with his crew to focus on a speedy and full recovery instead of exposing himself to further risks. Yet, Smith will undergo further treatment and try his best to give his debut with the newly formed team in France in two weeks’ time.
In his place, WithU GRT RNF MotoE Racing Team was asking the services of Lukas Tulovic to fill in. The 21-year-old German has two years of MotoE experience, knows the circuit in Jerez de la Frontera well and is happy to return to the paddock this weekend, replacing Smith aboard the Energica Ego Corsa machine for the Spanish round.
Meanwhile, WithU GRT RNF MotoE Racing Team’s Niccolo Canepa is happy to start this year’s adventure with an expert crew and aims for great results in this weekend’s two races on Saturday 16:15 local time and Sunday at 15:30 following a successful test aboard his MotoE bike at Jerez.
Bradley Smith:
“Unfortunately, yesterday I got the frustrating news that I’m being declared unfit for Jerez. My medical team has done an amazing job getting me ready during the last 10 days and honestly, I feel ready to compete and start the season. But I must respect the MotoGP medical teams’ final decision and let my fracture heal a few more days and be ready for Le Mans.”
Razlan Razali, WithU GRT RNF MotoE Racing Team Principal:
“At this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, we were excited to welcome our MotoE team with Niccolo Canepa and Bradley Smith. This is our first year of having two riders in the MotoE team in the RNF Racing outfit, the WithU GRT RNF MotoE Team. We are excited and we believe after the tests we can be competitive. Unfortunately, Bradley is declared unfit to race due to injuries suffered during the World Endurance Championship in Le Mans. We did our best together with Bradley to get well, but unfortunately the injury is quite sensitive and he requires more time to get better. However, we welcome replacement rider Lukas Tulovic, who is very much credible and has a great understanding of the MotoE. We look forward for him to replace Bradley and trying to get decent points for the opening of the 2022 MotoE World Cup.”
Filippo Conti, WithU GRT RNF MotoE Racing Team Manager:
“We welcome Lukas in our team for the first round of the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. We're sure he will give his contribution the team and his past experience in the MotoE Championship will help us a lot for the Jerez weekend. We're confident to get a good result despite this sudden announcement. We're sorry for Bradley who will miss the first two races of the season in Spain, we wish him a speedy recovery and we count to have him ready for the next MotoE weekend in France. From now on we'll fully focus on this one with Lukas and Niccolo to get the best results in Jerez: we're sure to have a good potential and we cannot wait to prove it.”