Jacque confirmed for Malaysia, Qatar.

As expected, Kawasaki test and development rider Olivier Jacque will replace the injured Alex Hofmann for this Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix and next Saturday's Qatar Grand Prix in Doha.

The Sepang race will be Jacque's fourth race appearance for Kawasaki this season, having previously contested the Chinese, French and German Grand Prix events. Jacque's superb second place in the rain-soaked Chinese Grand Prix in May was a career-best performance - both for the rider and Kawasaki in MotoGP.

"It is a strange feeling to be a replacement in these circumstances. As a racer I feel bad for Alex, I know how difficult it is, but on the other hand it is an opportunity for me to be back on the ZX-RR and to show my ability," said OJ. "I didn't have a lot of time to get organised, I got a phone call at home in London last Sunday morning, and here I am at Sepang.

"This is not my favourite track, but I think our bike should handle quite well here, especially in the shorter corners. But there are two long straights, one after the other, which puts the emphasis on top speed. I've been testing and training so I'm fit, now I'm just looking for some good results - second place in China seems so long ago," he added.

Hofmann has returned to Germany and is undergoing treatment for the fractured left ankle he suffered in last Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. The Motegi injury added to the frustration of the German rider's injury-hit season.

Team-mate Shinya Nakano also failed to finish his home race at Motegi - after an engine problem (pictured) - and is now taking a "nothing to lose" approach to the remaining five races of the season - starting with one of his favourite tracks on the calendar.

Nakano started third, on the front row, for this race in 2004 following a stunning qualifying lap and finished a strong eighth in the race. The Sepang circuit is 5.5 km in length, second only to Assen in terms of lap distance, with a race average speed of just over 160 kph.

"I have put the disappointment of Motegi behind me and I am just looking ahead to get the best results - there is nothing to lose, just go for it as the Kawasaki team are not contenders for the championship," said Shinya. "Sepang is a circuit that I like very much and last year in qualifying I did close to the perfect lap - third on the front row was very satisfying.

"The high speed corners here are critical to a fast lap, but in the race the slower hairpins are more important for overtaking. I'm looking for similar results this year, including a top ten race finish. We have the benefit of the winter test data from this track, plus I'm hoping to continue evaluation of Kawasaki's latest engine specification," he added.