Saturday Motegi MotoGP schedule delayed

As feared, after being forced to abandon the whole of Friday due to low visibility preventing use of the medical helicopter at Motegi, the Saturday morning sessions have also been delayed.

As well as continued visibility problems, heavy rain has also soaked the circuit.

That means the chances of 'Plan A' are receding fast and the remainder of the Japanese MotoGP weekend is heading for either a 'Plan B' or 'Plan C' scenario - both of which, according to Race Director Mike Webb on Friday, involve qualifying and the races on Sunday.

However it now seems that riders could go straight into an extended qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, followed by a lone free practice on Sunday morning (in place of warm-up) with the races to start as planned.

Rain is still pouring down, but organisers insist the weather 'is expected to improve by midday' and the new schedule will be confirmed shortly.