Motegi: no action due to adverse weather conditions

Not much was happening today on the circuit of Motegi that is to host the penultimate round of the 2013 world championship this Sunday. The medical helicopter, that has to be ready to take off from the circuit in case of an accident, was not able to make its way through the low layer of clouds to its final destination, owned by Honda. Under these circumstances, that saw the sessions being delayed at first, the free practice this morning was eventually cancelled as well as the second session later this afternoon. The weather in the region of Motegi, situated approximately 150km north of Tokyo, is currently affected by the first signs of a typhoon "Francisco" that is expected to hit the country on Saturday.

Forced out of action, the riders spent the day in the paddock and Dominique Aegerter, the only rider for the Technomag-carXpert Team this weekend in Japan, took the opportunity to measure his popularity amongst Japanese fans.

What is going to happen with the rest of the weekend in Japan? There are a few possible scenarios:

1) If the medical helicopter is able to land on Saturday morning, there will be one free practice for each category and one qualifying session in the afternoon.

2) If the helicopter is able to land later in the day, the afternoon's session will be 'free' and qualifying will be postponed until Sunday morning.

3) If the helicopter cannot land on Saturday, it will be partially disassembled and taken to the track by road where it will be put back together.

4) For this last scenario, a timetable of last resort will be set for Sunday when the weather forecast seems more optimistic. A free session will be held in the morning, followed by a qualifying session before the races.