The Japanese GP race at Motegi is still causing concern for the majority of the GP riders and paddock personnel even during this Catalan weekend, especially for Jorge Lorenzo now that Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta told the riders that Motegi is a go.
The reigning World Champion seems adamant against going to Japan, no reports from the UN, WHO or IAEA seem to set Lorenzo’s mind at ease regarding radiation, not even telling him that he absorbs more radiation on his long haul flights than he’ll find at the Twin Ring circuit.
Lorenzo admits he distrusts what government agencies and experts say, which many on a personal level can relate to, because experts and the media often give conflicting information and naturally the public has never been lied to.
“No, no I don’t want to go,” said Lorenzo.
“I don’t know why we must go, we can wait a year for the race there.
If you want to support Japan you can give some money.
I don’t know what the level of radiation is in Motegi, something could change with the (Fukushima) reactor, I don’t feel safe to go over there.
I don’t want to spend the next 20 years wondering if something is going to happen to me or my children.
” Valentino Rossi is also wary about going, if he has to go then he perfer it not to be Motegi but Suzuka, “Everyone come to me and say they don’t want to go.
For me, I hope we don’t go.
I don’t know if they want to make the race or not.
All the riders and manufacturers should agree not to go.
I don’t want to decide.
The situation is not very clear.
People are very scared about Japan.
For me a good idea is to go and race in Suzuka, it’s only 500kms away.
Some of the manufacturers are pushing to go but Ducati do not push so much.
We will speak about it in the safety commission but a lot of the riders don’t want to go.
”Nicky Hayden said: “I don’t know a lot about radiation and all that.
I love the Japanese GP, it’s a special GP and there’s definitely a buzz about it.
I like Japan and I want to go and support the country.
But it seems like it’s not smart.
Just from the information I’ve got – and I’ve not been watching CNN all day or anything – radiation is so unknown.
Nobody knows what could happen.
It could be 10 years down the road, or 20 years.
I think it’s not even worth the risk.
We’re all going to look stupid in 10 years if we look back and we went there for one race and we’re all having problems.
”“With the whole nuclear situation it’s difficult to know what to understand and who to believe and things like that,” said Casey Stoner.
“My view is that I think the motorcycle race is the most unimportant thing for Japan right now, and maybe all this time and effort can be spent to do something better than a motorcycle race.
In my opinion, I don’t think we should go.
I think 99 per cent of the riders and maybe more of the paddock don’t want to go for these reasons.
”Lorenzo is so set on not going that he actually buried the hatchet with Rossi, inviting his arch rival to his motorhome to discuss the situation.
Lorenzo knows that he’s the reigning World Champion, but he also knows that Rossi has even more clout in the paddock and having an ally of his stature helps drive the point across.
It may seem somewhat strange that riders who hurtle prototype motorcycles around tracks at break necking speeds and face injury or even worse could be afraid, but then fear is irrational.