Keeping an eye on… a typhoon!Just as it did at Sepang and Phillip Island, rain could play a big part in deciding the result of the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi this weekend.
Already the weather forecast is predicting a high probability of rain on Saturday and Sunday
at Motegi, but meteorologists are keeping a close eye on a large typhoon currently raging off the East coast of Japan.
The latest prediction is that this typhoon will travel in a North Easterly direction, missing Japan altogether, but such typhoons have been known to change track unexpectedly in the past.
Should the typhoon change direction and make landfall on the East Coast of Japan, then Motegi can expect very heavy rain this weekend; rain that would make the torrential downpour that disrupted qualifying at Sepang seem like a mere shower!
With final grid positions in Malaysia decided on lap times from free practice, expect to see riders using qualifying tyres from Friday afternoon's second free practice session onwards, just in case the rain forecast for Saturday turns out to be heavier than currently predicted!
Kawasaki Racing