Nozane to Moto2
Kohta Nozane, who currently competes in the FIM Superbike World Championship, will move to the Moto2 World Championship in 2023 with the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team.
Yamaha have supported Nozane throughout his time in the All Japan Road Race championships and are currently backing him in WorldSBK. They will continue to support him in Moto2 as a role model for young riders aiming for the global stage.
Kohta Nozane
“I was able to win the JSB1000 title in 2020, and since then I‘ve spent two years in WorldSBK. It‘s been a big challenge trying to get results, and I‘ve had a lot of difficult races so far, but I‘ve also learned a lot and gained a lot of experience. For 2023, I‘ll make a fresh start and compete in Moto2. I realise this will also be a big undertaking, but I‘ll do my best to produce some great races for my fans and for Yamaha.”
The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team was established in 2017 in conjunction with VR46 Junior Team Srl. Until 2018, the team competed in the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, and from 2019 to 2021 they participated in the FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship.
In 2022, the team became part of Yamaha‘s bLU cRU rider development programme. The project serves as a platform for young Yamaha talent to develop their skills at world championship level and accelerate the achievement of their goal of riding in MotoGP, the pinnacle of motorcycle racing.
Nozane won his first title in the All Japan Road Race Championship‘s premier JSB1000 class in 2020.
In 2021, he moved to Europe to compete in the world’s leading production racing series, WorldSBK. In his first season he finished 14th overall, and in 2022 after eight rounds he is currently ranked 19th.
Nozane has previous Moto2 experience, having ridden in the class once in 2012 and three times in 2013.
Tetsu Ono – GM Yamaha Motorsports Strategy
“We are excited to announce that we will welcome Kohta Nozane to our Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team for the 2023 season. He is one of the best riders in Asia who has Yamaha bLU cRU experience. We will start a new chapter with him with the goal of showing everyone motorsports excitement. We will also continue to promote talented riders from Asia.”
