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MotoGP: Stoner and Lorenzo say no to Japan GP

by eurosport

MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo and current leader Casey Stoner, who both ride for Japanese manufacturers, have ruled out taking part in this year's Japanese Grand Prix due to radiation fears. The Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit is around 130km from the Fukushima nuclear plant, whose cooling systems were crippled by an earthquake and Tsunami in March that led to meltdowns in three reactors and radiation leakages. The Japanese race was originally scheduled for April 24 but has been rescheduled for October 2. The governing International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has said there is no reason to cancel. (eurosport)

Powerful Typhoon Ma-on edges toward Japan

by irishweatheronline.com

Typhoon Ma-on continued to strenghten on Sunday. At 9:00 p.m. GMT the typhoon was located roughly 700 nautical miles (1,300 kilometres) south-southwest of Tokyo, and was moving northwestward in the direction of Japan. The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported that Ma-on had maximum sustained winds of 100 knots (185 kilometres per hour) with gusts up to 125 knots (230 kilometres per hour). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image of Ma-on on Sunday. Bearing a discernible eye, the storm spans hundreds of kilometers and grazes the Ryukyu Islands in the northwest. (irishweatheronline.com)