Dorna to commission independent Motegi inspection

MotoGP bosses are to commission an independent inspection of radiation levels surrounding the Twin Ring Motegi circuit before a final decision on whether the rescheduled Japanese Grand Prix will go ahead.

The race was postponed until October 2 after Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami back in March.

But extensive damage suffered to the Fukushima nuclear plant and subsequent concerns about the spread of radiation around the Twin Ring Motegi track has sparked widespread anxiety in the MotoGP paddock concerning the safety of staging the race.

Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner have all said they are reluctant to travel to Japan, despite numerous bodies like the World Health Organisation declaring Motegi and the surrounding area safe to visit.

Dorna is now talking to specialists at an Italian University about conducting an independent assessment, with Carmelo Ezpeleta anxious to determine whether the Japanese round will go ahead.

He told MCN: “We will request an independent report from experts and we will wait for their findings. If somebody advises us to not go then we won’t go, but at the moment the situation and all the information we have is that the area is safe.”

Ezpeleta would like to have reached a final decision by next month’s Mugello round in Italy. But he said the final deadline would have to be the Sachsenring race on July 17.