Honda Racing Corporation confirmed they have signed Hiroshi Aoyama, 2009 250cc World Champion, as a test rider in 2015.

The first step of this new project will see Hiro riding the new Honda Open Class bike with pneumatic valve engine, the RC213V-RS, in Valencia this weekend for his final race with the Aspar Team.

In next week’s three day test the 2015 machine will be shared between Karel Abraham and Nicky Hayden.

Private: Shuhei Nakamoto

HRC Race Development & Operations

"We are very pleased to confirm Hiro as a test rider for next year. He’s done a very good job this year and especially in these final races. This is an important project for HRC and we believe that he will be a valued addition for the development of HRC machines in the future. We have a long relationship with Hiro, and we look forward to continuing this into the future."