Somkiat Chantra will not take part in the upcoming Austrian and Hungarian MotoGP rounds, after he failed to recover from his knee injury. The Thai rider first suffered the injury in early July during a motocross training session after the Dutch GP, tearing a collateral ligament in his right knee. The damage required surgery and forced him to miss the German and Czech Republic races before the summer break.

Chantra has spent the past few weeks working hard on his rehabilitation, aiming to return for this weekend’s Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring. However, on Wednesday morning, MotoGP Medical Director Ángel Charte and knee specialists at the University Dexeus Hospital in Barcelona carried out a detailed medical check and concluded that Chantra is still not fit to race. As a result, he will miss both following weekends. The team expects him to be back in action for the Barcelona Grand Prix.

But finding a stand-in has been a real problem for LCR Honda. Takaaki Nakagami, who replaced Chantra at Brno before the summer break, suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee after being taken out by Augusto Fernandez in the Saturday sprint race. Aleix Espargaró is recovering from a thumb ligament tear in his right hand, which he sustained during a cycling event. Iker Lecuona, Honda’s World Superbike rider, crashed in the Hungarian round of that championship, forcing him to miss Suzuka. Xavi Vierge, Lecuona’s teammate, was considered but he could not race in Suzuka due to a visa issue, and his lack of MotoGP experience also counted against him for Austria.

With so many options ruled out, LCR will have in Austria only Johann Zarco, despite the MotoGP regulations stating that the team must make every effort to replace an injured rider. However, the situation will improve slightly for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Aleix Espargaró is set to return and step in for Chantra. The reason for it is because Espargaró is not yet fully recovered, but he is expected to be fit enough to race at Balaton Park.

If all goes according to plan, Chantra will make his comeback at the Catalan GP in Barcelona and put an end to more than two months on the sidelines. This unusual run of injuries and bad luck has left LCR in a difficult position mid-season, with back-to-back rounds testing their resources.