Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will make his sixth successive MotoGP appearance at Motegi in this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Nakasuga has seven premier class starts to his name, having been handed wildcards with Yamaha each year for his home race since 2012.
His best result from those outings was an eighth place finish in 2015, although he achieved a podium finish while deputising for an injured Ben Spies in the Valencia season finale in 2012 behind Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.
Hiroshi Aoyama was announced last week as stand-in for Jack Miller at Marc VDS Honda, meaning there will be two Japanese riders on the Motegi grid.
Nakasuga’s main engagement for 2017 is the All-Japan Superbike series, where he lies seventh in the points with three wins to his name.