The Motegi GP is officially on the 2011 MotoGP calendar, but some of the riders are still a little hesitant about racing in Japan, where an earthquake, tsunami, and consequential nuclear disaster wreaked havoc on much of the country. But the Factory Yamaha team confirmed today that both Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies would be racing on October 2nd in Japan.
Yamaha said in a press release:
"Yamaha Factory Racing herewith confirms the attendance of its riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies to compete for round 15 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship at Motegi in Japan on 2nd October."
The FIM, Dorna Sports, and the organizers of the Motegi GP did several tests to make sure that it was safe to race in Japan. A report from the ARPA said that "the radiation risk during the race event is negligible."
Still, riders like Casey Stoner were hesitant to race in Japan. Stoner, who has a new baby on the way, was understandably concerned about his health. But Stoner seems to coming around, and will more than likely join Lorenzo and Spies in Japan.
"I'm now slightly more open to it than I was before," Stoner said. "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."
