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Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team's Florian Marino and Riccardo Russo have returned home after both suffering separate side-lining crashes at the TT Circuit Assen, with Niccolò Canepa and Louis Rossi confirmed as replacements for the two from Imola onwards. Both riders are expected to be out of action for a minimum of three months to recover, but are determined to try and get back to full fitness for the second half of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup season.

Yamaha Racing's Endurance rider Niccolò Canepa will stand in for compatriot Russo as part of the Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team. Having won the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in 2007 and been runner-up in 2013, Canepa is no stranger to the Cup and will substitute for an indefinite term until Russo has returned to full health. Canepa's teammate at Le Mans, Louis Rossi, will again partner the Italian as the 26-year-old Frenchman also joins Pata Yamaha, stepping in for countryman Florian Marino. Rossi is best known for his career in the MotoGP paddock, having spent the past nine years competing on 125cc, Moto3 and Moto2 machinery - including victory at his home Moto3 Grand Prix in 2012 - but will return to action on the YZF-R1M for the STK1000 race at Imola this weekend.

"I'm really happy to race at Imola next weekend, but I'm really sorry for what has happened to Russo and Marino,” said Canepa. “First of all I hope they can come back very soon! For me, I am very happy to be able to race in Italy and at Imola which is one of my favourite tracks! For sure it will be hard because the bike is very different to the one I have been riding in the Endurance Championship, but I am sure the team will help me to be competitive from the first practice!"

"First of all I feel very sorry for Florian, that I need to be his replacement, and I hope that he will recover as soon as possible because he is a good guy and is a very fast and clever rider,” added Rossi. “For me, I will enjoy this opportunity to the maximum and try to do my best on the Yamaha. It is a bike that I like and know already from my time in the Endurance Championship and I was very fast on the YZF-R1 over winter testing. Although I know this bike, everything will be new as the STK1000 is a different version and also the tyres are completely different. I also don't know this track - my teammate Canepa has sent me some video footage so I can look at the track before the race this weekend, but this is the only image I have so far - so I will take my time, learn as much as I can and enjoy the time I have with this bike."

The two riders will have their first taste of STK1000 2016 on the 29^th of April  at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola as they hope to quickly get up to speed with their STK1000 competitors.