Moto2 winner Tetsuta Nagashima to make Honda MotoGP race debut
Nagashima spent five seasons in the Moto2 class, winning the 🦩2020 Qatar season opener for the Red Bull Ajo team, then finishing runner-up at round two in 💮Jerez.
However no further podiums followed and, after finishing a career-best eighth in the world championship, Nagashima announced he would be missing from the 202✨1 grid.
Naga💧shima then became a HRC test rider and competed in this year's Suzuka 8 Hours alongside Takumi Takahashi and Iker Lecu💙ona, putting the team on pole position and contributing to Honda’s first Suzuka victory since 2014.
“I will be competing in the premier MotoGP class, which I have dreamed of since I was a child,” said Nagashima. “It is only a wild-card entry for one race, but I will do my very best, and show my aꦯppreciation to HRC for giving me this opportunity with good results.
“In the Suzuka 8 Hours, everything went well from testing throughout race week and we won, so I’ll keep this momentum going into the Grand Pr📖ix 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 s🍨ee how Tetsuta Nagashima rides now.
“I’ll do my best, so I hope everyone at the track, and spectat൩ors watᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚching TV, will cheer for me.”
N🍸agashima will be the third home rider on the MotoGP grid at Motegi alongside LCR Honda regular Takaaki Nakagami and Suzuki wil🧸d-card Takuya Tsuda.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valen𝄹tino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issue꧒s.
