Italian motorcycle racing and its role in diplomacy were celebrated at the “Moto d’Italia – Culture Beyond the Track” event, where Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani presented Sports Diplomacy Ambassador plaques to Valentino Rossi, Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Giacomo Agostini, Max Biaggi, Kiara Fontanesi and Mugello Circuit CEO Paolo Poli. The initiative promoted motorcycling as a symbol of Italian industrial, technological, sporting and cultural excellence, and as a tool to strengthen Italy’s image abroad.

Bezzecchi joined by videoconference after surgery on a fractured collarbone suffered at the Sachsenring the previous weekend. He said he was proud of the appointment, thanked Tajani and said his operation had gone well as he recovered ahead of Silverstone. Bezzecchi also recalled winning at Mugello on an Italian motorbike and carrying the Italian flag on the podium. Rossi said, “It’s satisfying to watch the races today: Italy is at the top with its bikes and riders.”

The gathering brought together figures from the Italian and global motorcycling world, including Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, FMI president Giovanni Copioli and MotoGP Group CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. Ducati displayed Bagnaia’s Desmosedici GP26, Nicolò Bulega’s WorldSBK-spec Panigale V4 R and the Superleggera V4 Centenario Tricolore. Rivola said the Piaggio Group and its brands, including Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, represent Italian spirit worldwide.

LCR Honda confirmed that Cal Crutchlow will continue as Johann Zarco’s replacement for the British MotoGP at Silverstone on Aug. 7-9, extending his stay in the Castrol Honda LCR seat. The race will give Crutchlow a home Grand Prix appearance, and if he starts, he will become the first British rider on the premier-class British Grand Prix grid since his 2021 Silverstone substitute ride. Britain has not had a full-time MotoGP rider since Crutchlow retired at the end of 2020.

Zarco has been sidelined by knee injuries suffered at the Catalan Grand Prix in May, and after recent medical checks he decided not to have surgery. No return date has been announced, although September has been mentioned as a possible target. Crutchlow has been filling in since Mugello, and Silverstone would be his sixth consecutive race weekend on the bike after appearances in Hungary, Czechia, the Netherlands and Germany. His best results as a stand-in have been 16th place at Balaton Park and at Assen, and he has not scored a point.

Crutchlow is expected to share the LCR garage again with Diogo Moreira, who is 15th in the championship and has a best finish of sixth in Hungary. Jack Miller called Crutchlow’s 2026 return “mind-blowing” and praised his training and fitness, saying the veteran has had to adapt to new techniques and machinery in a MotoGP class that has changed during his time away.

Toprak Razgatlioglu said MotoGP’s constantly changing tires have made his first season difficult, and he called the Sachsenring German Grand Prix his worst race so far. The Turkish rider said he is still learning the bike and Michelin tires after coming from World Superbikes on Pirelli rubber, and that different specifications and asymmetric compounds at each circuit have hurt his confidence and motivation. He said MotoGP’s planned switch to Pirelli next year could help his adaptation.

At the Sachsenring, Razgatlioglu qualified 18th, finished 17th in the Sprint and described the weekend as a lost one. He said he struggled with tire management, repeated tire slip and setup on the tight, twisty track, and he had not raced at the circuit since 2014. In the main race, he kept losing ground in the same corners, fell behind after a small mistake while trying to follow Alex Rins, and then rode alone for the rest of the contest.

Razgatlioglu finished effectively last in the German Grand Prix, 38 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez and 6.5 seconds behind Alex Rins, the nearest Yamaha rider. He said being overtaken by stand-in LCR rider Cal Crutchlow was a low point, and he was surprised by Crutchlow’s Honda, which he said turned better and had more grip than his Yamaha. Razgatlioglu said he was disappointed not to reward the Turkish fans who supported him, and that the only positive was learning what he will need if he returns to Sachsenring next year. He has collected 12 points in the first half of his maiden MotoGP season, and he benefited from five retirements as well as the absences of injured Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi.