Qatar winner Tetsuta Nagashima 'will stop racing in 2021'
Tetsuta Nagashima, winner of the season-opening 2020 Moto2 race in Qatar, has confirmed he will not be on the grid when the 2021 world championship gets underway.
Having followed his perfect Red Bull Ajo debut at Losail - which also marked his first grand prix podium - with a second-place next time at Jerez, Nagashima didn't appear on the rostrum again and eventually finished eighth in the standings.
Tetsuta Nagashima, winner of the season-opening 2020 Moto2 race in Qatar, has confirmed he will not be on the grid when the 2021 world championship gets underway.
Having followed his perfect Red Bull Ajo debut at Losail - which also marked his first grand prix podium - with a second-place next time at Jerez, Nagashima didn't appear on the rostrum again and eventually finished eighth in the standings.
It was still by far his best grand prix season, but Nagashima's name was absent from the provisional 2021 Moto2 entry list, with Ajo deciding on all-new line-up of Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, following Jorge Martin's move to MotoGP.
A brief Instagram post states that the 28-year-old Nagashima - who has campaigned Motobi, NTS, TSR and Kalex chassis since his 2013 Moto2 debut - will 'stop racing' in 2021 but also makes clear he intends to 'be back much more stronger':
Nagashima's withdraw also confirms that rookie Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) will be the only Japanese Moto2 rider this season:
| Provisional 2021 Moto2 entry list | ||||
| Rider | NAT | TEAM | BIKE | |
| #5 | Yari Montella | ITA | Speed Up Racing | (Speed Up) |
| #6 | Cameron Beaubier | USA | Tennor American Racing | (Kalex) |
| #7 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | (MV Agusta) |
| #9 | Jorge Navarro | SPA | Speed Up Racing | (Speed Up) |
| #11 | Nicolo Bulega | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | (Kalex) |
| #12 | Thomas Luthi | SWI | Onexox TKKR SAG Team | (Kalex) |
| #13 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | Sky Racing Team VR46 | (Kalex) |
| #14 | Tony Arbolino | ITA | Liqui Moly Intact GP | (Kalex) |
| #16 | Joe Roberts | USA | Italtrans Racing Team | (Kalex) |
| #19 | Lorenzo Dalla Porta | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | (Kalex) |
| #21 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | (Kalex) |
| #22 | Sam Lowes | GBR | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | (Kalex) |
| #23 | Marcel Schrotter | GER | Liqui Moly Intact GP | (Kalex) |
| #24 | Simone Corsi | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | (MV Agusta) |
| #25 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | (Kalex) |
| #35 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | (Kalex) |
| #37 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | (Kalex) |
| #40 | Hector Garzo | SPA | Pons HP40 | (Kalex) |
| #42 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | Tennor American Racing | (Kalex) |
| #44 | Aron Canet | SPA | Aspar Team | (Speed Up) |
| #55 | Hafizh Syahrin | MAL | NTS RW Racing GP | (NTS) |
| #62 | Stefano Manzi | ITA | Pons HP40 | (Kalex) |
| #70 | Barry Baltus | BEL | NTS RW Racing GP | (NTS) |
| #72 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Sky Racing Team VR46 | (Kalex) |
| #75 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Aspar Team | (Speed Up) |
| #79 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | (Kalex) |
| #87 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Red Bull KTM Ajo | (Kalex) |
| #96 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | (Kalex) |
| #97 | Xavi Vierge | SPA | Petronas Sprinta Racing | (Kalex) |
| #99 | Kasma Daniel | MAL | Onexox TKKR SAG Team | (Kalex) |
