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

Stefan Bradl has ꧙raced in MotoGP for t🧔he last time, he insists, after competing last weekend at the season-ending Barcelona round.

Bradl is a Honda stalwart whose f💎irst premier class race 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 joined in the test team by♔ Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami.

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

“I am sure that, for the future, they will c🏅hoose Aleix and Taka.

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

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

🍸Bradl continued: “I came here with these thoughts. I communicated it to HRC. I am happy with it.

“I’ve been here a lo✤ng time. It’s okay. Nineteen years ago I did my first wildcard.

“The circle is closing.”

Bradl welcomes extra test riders

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

After his l🔜ast race, he confirmed: “It’s my time to retire as a full-ti🌠me rider.

“I am happy to be in a g🌸ood position to still be able to do MotoGP rid൩ing in tests.

“Honda has thre✃e test riders now, which is great. It’s necessary for th꧂e development that we need to do.

“I am happy t💫o share all my experience, my knowledge, with 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 cꦓhallenging.

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

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

“It will be faster ne🔜xt year. And they already have one eye on the new rules, the new engine s✤pecification.”

Bradl welcomꦇed the addition of Espargaro and Nakagami to H♛onda’s test team.

“It’s good for me. I had a lot of things to do, it was a massive l▨oad🎶 on my shoulders,” he said.

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

Bradl’s best fin🌼ish in a MotoGP season was 𓄧seventh in 2013. His only podium came in America in the same season.

Notably, he replaced Marc Marquez i𝔍n 20ও20 when he suffered his serious injury.

His work will continue behind-the-scenes developing the Honda🐓.