Riders rendezvous in Tokyo on the road to Motegi

Bastianini, Ogura, Sasaki, Nagashima and more head for sushi and a stroll around Japan's incredible capital

A small rendezvous and enjoying some Japanese traditions in Tokyo were on the menu for Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and home heroes Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC), Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power), Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) on their way to the Twin Ring Motegi for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan this weekend.

Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan

The first port of call was a spot of lunch as Bastianini, Nagashima, Toba and Yamanaka got stuck into some wonderfully prepared sushi in Tokyo’s Ginza district before heading off on a short walk to Ginza Motoji – a beautiful Kimono shop. There, Ogura, Sasaki and Furusato joined their counterparts to get fitted into traditional Japanese Kimonos. The eight stars – freshly donned in their exquisite new outfits – then walked to the stunning Kabuki theatre for some sightseeing, before Nagashima, Sasaki, Toba and Yamanaka paid a visit to Matsuzaki Shoten – a famous Rice Cracker shop in Ginza – to cap off a fantastic couple of hours in Tokyo.

Enea Bastianini: “Yeah I’m a big fan of the Japanese guys, Tokyo is one of my favourite places. I’m enjoying it with these guys at the pre-event, now I’m going to go and put a Kimono on for the first time and I’m also excited to see the opera later.”

Ai Ogura: “It is nice to race in Japan, it’s been three years without the Japanese GP so I’m really excited and hopefully we can have a good race for the Japanese fans.”

Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan

Tatsuki Suzuki: “Since 2019 we didn’t have a Japanese GP so it’ll be the first time after Covid-19 that we come back here in Tokyo. It’s always nice to be here, it’s also nice to ride in front of the Japanese fans, especially for me being a Japanese rider. It’s great to ride in Japan.”

Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan
Pre event, Motul Grand Prix of Japan
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