Takaaki Nakagami will take no further part in the Japanese MotoGP after suffering a left collarbone fracture in FP1 at Motegi. HRC announced that the Japanese rider had been declared unfit to continue the weekend, ending his final MotoGP wildcard appearance before it had properly begun.

The crash came about four minutes into the session at Turn 11. Rain was in the air and damp patches remained on the circuit, conditions that kept many riders in the pits during the opening minutes. Nakagami was behind Luca Marini, who was positioned towards the outside of the track, when he lost control off-throttle and high-sided. Marshals subsequently cleared both rider and motorcycle from the gravel trap.

Why the wildcard mattered

The Motegi entry was significant for the former Moto2 race winner. One-off entries will be prohibited in MotoGP from 2027, so this had been Nakagami’s final opportunity to contest his home Grand Prix as a wildcard rider.

Nakagami’s withdrawal leaves HRC with its usual four-bike complement for the Japanese weekend. Joan Mir remains absent through illness and is replaced by Somkiat Chantra. Mir will also miss the next race in Indonesia, while Chantra will be at Estoril for the WorldSBK round. That makes the previously possible prospect of Nakagami replacing Mir at Mandalika extremely unlikely because of the collarbone injury.