Nagashima confirmed for Japan MotoGP wildcard

HRC rest rider Tetsuta Nagashima will line up on the MotoGP grid as a wildcard entry for the Grand Prix of Japan.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) confirmed the news on Friday morning ahead of the Misano action for the 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship. Nagashima will join the premier class paddock for round 16 at the end of September for his home GP at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi, Japan, after securing the Suzuka Eight-Hours Endurance victory alongside team members Takumi Takahashi and Iker Lecuona.

The Japanese rider, who has been a regular in the Moto2 class in recent years claimed pole position for August’s Suzuka spectacular with a record-breaking 2’04.934 lap before setting the fastest lap of the race on his way to victory - the first for Honda since 2014.

“I will be competing in the premier MotoGP class, which I have dreamed of since I was a child,” Nagashima confirmed on Friday. “It is only a wild card entry for one race, but I will do my very best, and show my appreciation to HRC for giving me this opportunity with good results.

“In the Suzuka Eight-Hours, everything went well from testing throughout race week and we won, so I’ll keep this momentum going into the Grand Prix of Japan.

“I feel that through conducting development tests as an HRC rider this year, my skills as a rider are improving, so I hope everyone will see how Tetsuta Nagashima rides now. I’ll do my best, so I hope everyone at the track, and spectators watching TV, will cheer for me.”