Forward NGM have confirmed that LCR Honda exile Stefan Bradl with race with the Open class team in MotoGP 2015.

The German was dumped by HRC due to only standing on the podium once using a bike that was very similar to world champion Marc Marquez’ works RC213V. In a late deal, he was replaced by Britain’s Cal Crutchlow.

In a brief communique this lunchtime, team  boss Giovanni Cuzari said: “It’s with great pleasure that we welcome Stefan Bradl in our team. We believe that Stefan is a strong rider and our package suits his riding style very well and we look forward to start this new cooperation. Moreover, Germany represents an important market and it's important to have a strong German rider in our line up.”

Having found someone to ride the bike that Colin Edwards will retire from at the end of the year, Cuzari needs to locate a substitute for Aleix Espargaro, who is widely tipped to join Maverick Vinales at Suzuki.