FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Postponement of the Grand Prix of Japan The recent vulcano eruption in Iceland has resulted in an ash cloud cover infiltration. Air traffic space over Europe has stopped all international travel in and out of Europe. This case of ‘force majeure’ has obliged the Grand Prix Permanent Bureau composed of the FIM President Vito Ippolito and Dorna C.E.O. Carmelo Ezpeleta, with the agreement of the Grand Prix Promoter, Mobilityland Corporation, to postpone the Grand Prix of Japan planned on 25 April 2010. The Grand Prix Permanent Bureau proposed equally to the FIM to reschedule the Grand Prix of Japan on 3 October 2010. More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM’S HOME RACE POSTPONED The Repsol Honda Team’s home race – the Grand Prix of Japan scheduled to take place this weekend – has been postponed due to the continuing disruption to flights in Europe caused by the well-publicised volcanic eruption in Iceland. MotoGP series organisers made the decision as it became clear that it would impossible for personnel and equipment to arrive in Japan on time as the volcanic ash clouds cause widespread flight cancellations across Europe. Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso had been expecting to resume their 2010 campaigns this weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi, and both expressed disappointed at missing the opportunity to ride in front of their Japanese fans. It is proposed that the Grand Prix of Japan be rescheduled for October 3. The unexpected but unavoidable news means that the factory Honda squad is now looking forward to the next race – the Grand Prix of Spain – which is due to take place at the Jerez circuit on Sunday 2 May. Andrea Dovizioso “Well, there is nothing we can do and this volcano event is so strange that we only have to accept it! I am a little disappointed because I was very much looking forward to racing at Honda’s home GP after the good result I had in Qatar. Moreover we were going to visit HRC before the race and I was looking forward to that too. The Motegi racetrack is special and has some characteristics which are different from other tracks so I wanted to see how the 2010 RC212V worked there. From the riders’ and fans’ point of view it is a pity of course, but I think that technically it can be a small advantage for us because now the technicians have more time to work on the developments we’ve asked for.” Dani Pedrosa “It is a real pity for me that the Grand Prix has been postponed because Motegi is a track I love, and this is a race that motivates me a lot because we have always achieved good results in Japan. It is also a very important race for Honda and a big disappointment for the fans. Anyway, at least we were lucky to be at home when this happened because many people are stuck in Europe without being able to move and, with all the travelling we do during a season, it could easily have been us who were stranded somewhere. I hope the situation gets better quickly and we can race without problems in Jerez next week”. Toshiyuki Yamaji – Repsol Honda Team Manager “Well, I have been involved motorcycle racing for more than 20 years with HRC but I’ve never seen a race cancelled because of a volcano before! First and foremost, we feel very sorry for all the fans who were looking forward to attending this race, and we really hope that they can come to the Twin Ring Motegi in October for a rescheduled Grand Prix of Japan. It’s also disappointing for us because Honda’s home race is always a special occasion for everyone in the Team. But of course we fully support the organisers’ unavoidable decision to postpone this race. Many people, including members of the Repsol Honda Team, wouldn’t have been able to travel to Japan and the flight cases containing the bikes and equipment were also still in Europe, so the decision was inevitable. However, we’re very pleased that it seems likely that we can still look forward to a Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi in October. I hope the situation in Europe improves quickly and all the people who have suffered disruption in this episode can return to normal as soon as possible.”