Earlier this month, Dorna Sports and the FIM released a report saying that racing in Japan would be completely safe for riders, teams, and spectators. But some of the MotoGP riders are still hesitant about heading to Motegi due to radiation concerns.
The Motegi round was rescheduled after an earthquake, and consequential tsunami, hit Japan. The round was nearly canceled when the Fukishima Nuclear Power Plant was damaged and began leaking radiation. Dorna and the FIM say that they've done extensive testing in the area and that there is no risk of radiation poisoning. But riders like Casey Stoner are still waiting for a little more confirmation before the commit to racing in Japan.
In a press conference today, Stoner summed up his feelings about the situation, saying that he doesn't feel completely safe about riding in Japan. Stoner's wife Adriana recently found out that she was pregnant, so the Repsol Honda rider is understandably being cautious about his, and his family's, safety.
"There was a period after Silverstone that I felt very strongly that I wasn't going to go to Japan after things I'd seen and heard," Stoner said. "That came from a very strong sense of emotion after we found out that Adriana (Stoner) was pregnant.
"We've discussed it a lot since then and that's a huge thing that's happened in my life and now the most important. So I felt that the best thing I could do at that time was to make my mind up. There was no way I was going to risk my wife or my family and it was very tough.
"In these weeks I've taken a lot of data from Australia, people we feel we can trust on the matter, and I'm now slightly more open to it than I was before. I think people can understand I was taken a little bit with my safety and that of my family in this matter. We'll see in these next weeks, we'll continue talking and try and find out as much information as we can. I'm not saying that I am going, but I'm not saying that I'm not. So we'll just have to see what happens in the near future."
The rest of the MotoGP riders at the press conference also confirmed that they were waiting for more information before making a final decision.
The riders' Safety Commission has a meeting planned for Friday, where the Motegi GP will be the prime topic up for discussion.
