Jacob Roulstone back in GP paddock for Moto2 chance
Jacob Roulstone will return to the Grand Prix paddock with Idemitsu Honda Team Asia. The Australian has been called in to replace the injured Mario Aji in the Moto2 World Championship.
Aji has been ruled out after recent surgery on a C6/C7 cervical fracture, opening the door for Roulstone to step into the Honda-backed Moto2 squad alongside Taiyo Furusato.
The opportunity is understood to start this weekend at Balaton Park, with possible follow-up appearances in Brno and Assen.
Important Grand Prix opportunity
For Roulstone, the call-up marks a significant return to the World Championship paddock after two seasons in Moto3 with Tech3.
The 21-year-old from New South Wales moved into Moto2 machinery this season in the European championship ranks with Team Ciatti – Boscoscuro, a step designed to build his middleweight-class experience while keeping him visible to the wider Grand Prix paddock.
That programme has already given Roulstone useful recent race mileage on Moto2 machinery, although not in the World Championship field. He made a strong start to his 2026 Moto2 European Championship campaign at Catalunya, finishing seventh in both races and banking 18 points from the opening round.
MCNews.com.au covered that Catalunya performance here: Aussies score in FIM Juniors as Lucas wins Moto4 opener from back of grid.
From Moto3 to Moto2 machinery
Roulstone’s path to this chance has been a long one through the development categories. He progressed from the Oceania Junior Cup and Asia Talent Cup to the European Talent Cup, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, and eventually the Moto3 World Championship.
His Moto3 tenure included flashes of strong pace and a career-best fifth-place finish at Mandalika, but also injury interruptions and the usual difficulties of establishing momentum in one of Grand Prix racing’s most competitive categories.
His 2026 move to Moto2 machinery with Team Ciatti was therefore an important reset. MCNews.com.au covered that move here: Jacob Roulstone secures Moto2 ride in Europe for 2026.
At the time, Roulstone made it clear that the European Moto2 Championship was intended as a pathway back towards the World Championship paddock. This Honda Team Asia opportunity now accelerates that process considerably.
ASBK miles kept Roulstone race-sharp
Roulstone has also stayed race-sharp closer to home this year, making recent ASBK Superbike appearances aboard Honda machinery. While a litre-class Superbike is a very different proposition to a Moto2 machine, those outings have kept him in race mode against high-quality domestic opposition.
MCNews.com.au’s coverage of the 2026 ASBK opener at Phillip Island noted Roulstone’s speed and racecraft among a group of young riders shaking up the established Superbike order. In Race One, the Fireblade-mounted Roulstone chased down Cam Dunker and moved past the Yamaha rider early in the contest as Mike Jones began to close in behind them.
You can revisit that Phillip Island coverage here: Youngsters shake up ASBK form guide in cracking Race One at Phillip Island.
Roulstone was again prominent in Race Two at Phillip Island, quickly moving into third in the early stages. MCNews.com.au’s Race Two recap is here: ASBK Race Two at Phillip Island delivers a thriller.
The final Phillip Island bout was another reminder of the depth in the new-generation ASBK Superbike fight, with Roulstone again part of the early front-running group as Harrison Voight, Cam Dunker, Mike Jones, Anthony West, Jonathan Nahlous, Josh Waters and Cru Halliday all featured in a busy lead battle. That Race Three coverage is here: Youngsters come out on top again in sketchy final ASBK race at Phillip Island.
Roulstone was also in the thick of the championship conversation after the second ASBK round at Sydney Motorsport Park. MCNews.com.au noted after SMSP that Harrison Voight would take a 14-point lead over Josh Waters to The Bend, but Roulstone remained right in the mix as the Honda rider sat only a single point behind Waters heading into round three, but missed the recent Morgan Park round due to his international commitments.
You can revisit that SMSP coverage here: Voight dominates final ASBK bout at SMSP as Waters wins the round.
Roulstone arrives at this Moto2 World Championship opportunity with recent competitive laps on both a Boscoscuro Moto2 machine in Europe and Honda Superbike machinery in Australia.
Honda Team Asia opportunity
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia remains one of the key development structures in the Grand Prix paddock, particularly for riders with links to the Asia Talent Cup and Road to MotoGP pathway.
Roulstone’s background fits that broader profile. Although Australian, he has spent much of his international career inside that development ecosystem and now gets a major opportunity on the Moto2 World Championship stage.
The challenge will be considerable. Jumping into the World Championship mid-season, on a different bike, with limited time to build rapport with the team, is never straightforward. However, Roulstone arrives with recent Moto2-category mileage, plenty of race fitness, and a timely reminder from his ASBK outings that he has not been short of competitive laps in 2026.
For an Australian rider trying to re-establish himself on the Grand Prix ladder, the timing could be pivotal to the future of his career…
