Alex Rins has been declared fit by the MotoGP doctors at the circuit for his MotoGP return in this weekend’s race at Twin Ring Motegi.
Alex Rins –
After spending over three months on the sidelines through injury, Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) will be back on track this weekend after being passed fit for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan.
When travelling to Japan, Rins explained: “Yesterday we were in Madrid and the visit went quite well. The bone continues to regenerate and continues its process, so we are going to try the next step, which is to get on a MotoGP bike to see what the sensations are and follow the recovery process.”
The #42 underwent his check on Thursday morning in Motegi and will be back in LCR Honda Castrol colours for HRC’s home race.
UPDATE: After trying riding on Friday in the practice session, Rins eventually was declared unfit to compete due to paid. “Alex Rins has been declared unfit due to the pain he’s felt today on the right leg while testing on track. We are proud of his efforts, thanks for trying Alex,” a statement from the team stated.
Cal Crutchlow –
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. appointed Cal Crutchlow as a wild-card entry for this weekend’s Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Round 14 of the 2023 FIM MotoGP World Championship. The Briton will be riding the special livery YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team YZR-M1 (matching with the YAMALUBE RS4GP high-performance motor oil branding) at the Mobility Resort Motegi this race weekend, with the aim to test various prototype parts in a MotoGP race setting and accelerate bike development.
As the official Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider, Crutchlow is the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team’s ideal choice for their one-off MotoGP entry. Though his participation in the 2023 Japanese GP marks his first Yamaha wild-card experience since he started riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team in 2021, he has not been idle. He did contest in ten GPs over the course of 2021-2022 as a replacement rider.
Moreover, Crutchlow is certainly no stranger to the Motegi track. He has ridden at the circuit ten times in the MotoGP premier class as a regular rider and scored a best result of second place in 2018. Crutchlow’s experience at the Motegi track was further deepened by a successful private Motegi test he completed on 11th August 2023.
With the wild-card entry Yamaha affirms their mission to accelerate bike development. Crutchlow joined Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli during their visit to the Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. headquarters and Yamaha factory in Iwata, Japan, on the 27th of September, to bring extra excitement to the hard-working engineers for their home GP.
Cal Crutchlow: “I’m looking forward to riding at the Japanese Grand Prix with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team. Essentially, they are my test team that I work with during the season. We’ve been working really hard this year to improve the bike for the Factory riders for the current season and next season.
“This wild card will give us the opportunity to do something a little different over the course of the weekend and find the best possible set-up to help them for the Japan race weekend, the rest of the season, and potentially next year. I always enjoy going to Japan, to the country and the Motegi race circuit. I had a nice time visiting the Yamaha headquarters and factory, and I look forward to having a fun weekend.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]
