Yamaha continues to hand out rewards for its recent win at the Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race, having just granted Alex Lowes a ride on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP bike this past weekend at the British GP, and this coming weekend at the San Marino GP.
Yamaha’s next recipient will be its test rider, Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who will get the honor of racing as a wild card in front of his home crowd at the Japanese GP in Motegi, Japan.
Nakasuga-san is no stranger to the MotoGP paddock, and this year’s race in Japan will be the fifth time that Nakasuga has raced in the Japanese GP.
On multiple occasions, Nakasuga has also been the replacement for injured Yamaha factory MotoGP riders, and he has the distinction of getting a MotoGP podium in the 2012 Valencia GP, while replacing Ben Spies.
The well-liked Japanese rider has helped bring two consecutive Suzuka 8-Hours victories to Yamaha now, which is massively important to the Japanese manufacturer. We imagine he will get a big reception at the Japanese round, both from fans, but also from fellow riders.
“Last year I improved on my best result at the Grand Prix of Japan when I took a top-10 finish [8th], and I was able to show how much both the YZR-M1 and I had improved,” said Nakasuga.
“This year I’ll again be participating as part of my development duties with the M1, but I look at it as a once-in-a-year chance to give my absolute maximum and test my skills against the world’s top riders.”
“Last year I was able to battle with my Suzuka 8 Hour teammates Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith in the race, and this year my goal is to be in a position to battle with those guys again. Please come and cheer us on at the race, and let’s make this year’s Grand Prix of Japan an amazing one.”
Source: Yamaha Racing
Comments