Aoyama has found it hard going in MotoGP this season

Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama faces a long lay-off after fracturing a vertebra in Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Reigning 250cc world champion Aoyama, 28, came off his Interwetten Honda bike during the warm-up lap before the race.

"It's a pity Hiro had this nasty crash and injured himself so badly, so he will be out for the next couple of months," said team boss Daniel M Epp.

Honda test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi will fill in for the next two races.

After those races at Assen and Catalunya, Epp confirmed the team would need a longer-term replacement.

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"At the moment we don't have a rider, apart from at Assen and Barcelona, and we are looking for a suitable solution," he added.

Aoyama is 14th in the 17-rider championship, with his best result so far being a 10th-place finish in the opening race of the season in Qatar.

"His learning process was going really well and he was consistently getting better," stated Epp.

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