Stoner joins Lorenzo in Japanese GP boycott

MotoGP News
Date: 16/July/2011

The MotoGP World Championship is facing a rebellion from within, after two of its leading riders publically declared that they will not participate in the Japanese Grand Prix.

World champions Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo, first and second in this year's championship, defiantly laid their cards on the table and declared they "will not go" due to radiation fears.

The event, held at the Honda-owned Motegi circuit, has already been moved from its late April date to October 2, following this year's Earthquake and Tsunami.

However, the risk of radiation from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant continues to worry the riders.

Motegi is just over 100km from the radiation leak, but with no firm evidence of any danger MotoGP organisers have made clear that, unless they receive evidence to the contrary, the event will go ahead.

Organisers seemed to hope that an independent European agency report, due to be released later this month, would reassure the riders. But Stoner and Lorenzo, who have won all but two of the eight races this year, have already made up their minds.

Stoner declared: "I will not go. That's my opinion and I've had it for some time. I'm sure most riders feel the same. I guess it's up to the organisers to figure out what's going to happen."

Factory Yamaha rider Lorenzo added: "I made my decision a long time ago. I am not active in any discussions about racing in Japan because I made my mind up a long time ago."

Quizzed on whether he will face any sanctions from Honda, Stoner responded: "They know my position. Whether they think I'm going to change my mind or not - it’s something we’ve got to discuss very shortly and make it very clear.

"If there's no race there won’t be any penalty, but I'm not going regardless. I've already made up my mind."

Asked if he would now remove the "With You Japan" sticker from his motorcycle, Stoner responded: "This doesn’t mean we're not supporting Japan. I don't think supporting someone and being in the same place is the same thing.

"If a similar thing happened near my home in Australia I wouldn’t be going back there. It'd be the same situation."

Lorenzo agreed: "I really think if we go there things in Japan will not change. If something like that happened in Spain I would not go there either. If we can help Japan in another way we will, but I think going there is not real support."

Two weeks' previously, at the Italian Grand Prix, it was revealed that all but one of the 17 MotoGP riders - Japanese Hiroshi Aoyama being the exception - had signed a petition indicating that they did not want to race at Motegi.