Honda wildcard Takaaki Nakagami ruled out of Japanese GP after fracture

Honda down to four riders at Motegi with wildcard entrant Nakagami forced out after practice crash

Honda MotoGP development rider Takaaki Nakagami will miss the remainder of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend after breaking his collarbone in a crash during opening practice on Friday.

The Japanese rider was trying to get an early understanding of the tricky conditions at Motegi when he suffered a brutal highside at Turn 11 on his out-lap, landing hard on his left side before rolling into the gravel.

Nakagami was able to get back to his feet as marshals arrived on the scene with a stretcher, but he was seen clutching his upper left arm and appeared to be in considerable pain.

The right-hander leading under the oval bridge had already proven challenging for MotoGP riders after overnight rain showers, with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi nearly crashing in the same spot minutes ago.

While Bezzecchi was able to save the fall and continue, Nakagami was taken to the medical centre for further examination.

Shortly afterwards, HRC revealed that he has been diagnosed with a fracture on his collarbone and declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend.

The 34-year-old, who is leading the development of Honda’s 850cc bike, was due to contest his home race as a wildcard for Honda. This was also expected to be the final wildcard outing of his career.

Nakagami is the only rider on the current grid to have tested a grand prix bike on Motegi’s resurfaced layout, and his early exit from the Japanese GP marks a major setback for the Tokyo-based manufacturer.

After the incident, Nakagami’s bike was quickly recovered from the site under yellow flags, with the action quickly resuming at Motegi.

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez topped the 45-minute session for the factory Ducati team, leading the Aprilias of Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi. Johann Zarco was Honda’s top finisher in fifth, 0.339s down on Marquez.