MotoGP Motegi: Kohta Nozane to stand in for Jonas Folger

The Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP team has announced that it will be running two bikes at the Japanese round of the MotoGP championship. MotoGP rookie and regular rider Jonas Folger has headed back to Germany for further tests, and Japanese rider Kohta Nozane will substitute for Folger for the race at Motegi.

The 21 year old Nozane is a factory test rider for Yamaha. He has been racing in the Japanese Superbike Championship and has had some good results this season. He also has been participating in the World Endurance Championship on an R1. Interestingly, his mentor is Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who will be a wildcard entry for Yamaha at the Motegi round but not as a part of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team but as a single-rider entry from the Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team. 

With two Japanese riders on Japanese machinery, the race at Twin Ring Motegi seems to be shaping up to be just as much a home race for Yamaha as it is for Honda. We can't wait.