Nakagami prepares for what is likely to be the final MotoGP race of his career

Honda is now officially presenting Takaaki Nakagami’s Motegi wildcard as probably his final MotoGP race. The Japanese rider says that with the 2027 regulation change and the disappearance of wildcards in their current form, he expects this home appearance to be his last competitive start.

The story is particularly symbolic: Motegi is where Nakagami first discovered the paddock as a child, before becoming a Grand Prix rider and then a full-time MotoGP competitor from 2018 to 2024. Since 2025 he has worked as a Honda development rider, focusing much of his activity on the future 850cc machine.

The new fact is therefore not the wildcard itself, which was already known, but Nakagami’s own admission that this should be the last race. Motegi will carry a farewell dimension alongside its role as a full-scale development test for HRC.