Takaaki Nakagami in France: Will Race as a Wildcard for Honda

The Japanese rider returns to MotoGP in a new role: he will serve as a test rider for the HRC Honda Team.

The goal of the Japanese manufacturer Honda is to return to the top of the MotoGP championship as soon as possible. In this context, test riders Aleix Espargaró and Takaaki Nakagami play an important role. Both testers have many years of experience in the premier class and will be crucial in improving the bike.

The Spaniard (Espargaró), who took to the track for the Estrella Galicia 0.0 Spanish Grand Prix, later handed over the testing duties at Jerez to the former Honda team rider. Taka Nakagami’s work will continue in France, where, thanks to the current concessions, he will be allowed to race as a wildcard.

This decision may be due to the fact that the Japanese rider has generally performed well at Le Mans on the RC213V: except for 2019, he has always finished in the points, even achieving three top-seven finishes in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The official announcement came just a few minutes ago through the MotoGP’s official channels.

Photo: Takaaki Nakagami