Four-time consecutive Japanese Superbike Champion Katsuyuki Nakasuga will take part as a guest rider at his national event in Motegi on October 16. He will be hired directly by the Japanese factory and not by Tech 3 to replace the currently injured Bradley Smith, whose return Yamaha is eager to see.
Six times winner of theAll Japan Road Race Championship in category JSB1000, Katsuyuki Nakasuga will participate in his tenth Grand Prix in mid-October. He revealed himself to the astonished world by finishing second in the Valencia GP, between the two Repsol Honda drivers. Dani Pedrosa et Casey Stoner in 2012. However, there are not legions of riders who in MotoGP finished consistently ahead of Stoner in MotoGP, especially when 23 seconds behind him.
In the Japanese Championship, the road to his seventh title is open, with currently 10 consecutive victories, with pole position each time. This series started in the second round last year and is currently continuing after the fifth race this year. In endurance, Nakasuga has just won the Suzuka 8H with Pol Espargaro et alex lowes. He had already won last year with the Spaniard and Bradley Smith.
Bradley having suffered a ligament injury during testing at Oschersleben, he was replaced at Silverstone and will be replaced at Misano by Alex Lowes. But it will be unavailable for the Japanese GP because it will be present in Jerez on October 16 in World Superbike. Nakasuga will not replace Smith, but will be entered separately, and directly by the factory, within the “Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team”. Yamaha management is also very clear on this subject: « Nakasuga-san is entered as a wild card, and there is no news regarding Bradley's participation with Tech 3, although we all hope he gets to ride his YZR-M1. »
Born on August 9, 1981, Nakasuga competed in his first three Japanese Grand Prix from 2002 to 2004 on a 250 (Yamaha, of course) with a best result of twelfth place in 2002. Then he raced 6 GPs between 2011 and 2015 in MotoGP, with its unforgettable podium in Valencia. His best place in qualifying was second at Suzuka during the 2003 Japanese GP in 250.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga:
“Last season I achieved my best result at the Japanese Grand Prix by finishing in the Top 10. I was thus able to demonstrate the progress made, both by Yamaha and on my side. This year I will also be present at the start as part of my status as a test driver, but I intend to give my maximum in the race. In 2015 I was able to fight against Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith, with whom I teamed up at the 8 Suzuka 2015 Hours. My goal is to fight against these drivers again. »
