One respected rider quietly called a halt to his MotoGP career which🔥 had spanned 12 years.

Stefan Bradl hꦯas raced in MotoGP for the last time, he insists, after competing last weekend at the season-ending Barcelona round.

Bradl is a Honda stalwart wh🔯ose first premier class race𝓰 was in 2012.

He will continue as a test rider for HRC, the🍸 role he has valiantly filled for years, but next season will be joi𝔉ned in the test team by Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami.

“This is 🌊my🎃 last wildcard here,” Bradl said last weekend in Barcelona.

“I am sure that, for the future, they wꦫill choose Aleix a𒅌nd Taka.

“I am fine with that💜, I’ve told them I am fine. They have more speed.

“We will do six wildcꦓards ♉next season, done by Aleix and Taka.”

Br🍬adl continued: “I came here with these thoughts. I communicated it to HRC. I am happy with it.

“I’ve been here a long time. It’s okay. Nineteen years ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚago I did my first wildcard.

“The circle is closing.”

Bradl welcomes extra test riders

Bradl f🔯inished 22nd in Barcelona, although was focusing more on much-needed development of the Honda.

After🔯 his last race, he confirmed: “It’s my time to retire a🤡s a full-time rider.

“I am happy t✅o be in a good position to still be able to do MotoGP riding in tests.

“Honda has three test rid🌟ers now⛦, which is great. It’s necessary for the development that we need to do.

“I am happy to share all my experience, my knowlꦗedge, wiඣth HRC and the other riders.

“As a test rider, I need to do things that normally aren’t easy during a race weekend. From a rider point of view, it🎐’s challenging.

“I know how th🅺e people work, how the company works, and they can have success. They are th🍰e most successful manufacturer in this sport.

“They have the knowledge and passion to come back♔.

“It will be faster next year. And they already hꦆave one eye on the new rules, the new engine s꧅pecification.”

Bradl welcom𒁏ed the addition of Espargaro and Nakagami to Honda’s tes♊t team.

“It’s good for me. I had a lot of things to do, it was a massive loa♔d on my shoulders,” he said.

“I was happy because they trusted me. But now, having Aleix and Taka i✅s nice because we need more. More people to get the work done.”

Bradl’s b✱est finish in a MotoGP season was seventh in 2013. His only podium came🐟 in America in the same season.

Notably, he replaced Marc Marquez in 2020 when heಌ suffered his serious injury.

His work will continue behind-the-scenes devel♈oping the Honda.