We received this message from a MotoGP fan with close ties to Japan. It is in regards to the possible rider boycott of the Motegi round because of safety fears.

Thanks for pointing out how absurd it is that the racers are put off about racing in Japan. It really disappoints me to see so little character from these titans of racing. I can't even forgive Casey Stoner for his reasoning that they have better things to worry about than racing in Japan.

To Casey's point, the Japanese in the area need this race for a number of reasons. Life has to go on. The people in the area are already going bankrupt from a lack of local tourism. Some very old and well known hotels have already gone bust, shops and tourist attractions are on the brink. What they need more than anything is normality. A big motoGP race with lots of foreign tourists and a lot of excitement from foreign press will not only help boost the economy in the short run, it will bring a sense of normality back to the area which could help get some of the local tourists back as well.
To the frightened ones, Motegi is probably less radioactive than most people's basements. It's not only well out of the safety zone around the Daichi plant, it's also separated by some very healthy sized mountains. They (the riders) are getting CT scans and X-Rays every other month and they want to have us believe that radiation is a complete mystery?
I'm so utterly disappointed in the nature of these riders at the moment, does it make sense to petition them? Do you think they would respond to that? It baffles my mind that they are playing this stupid. I mean, I realize they are not all rocket scientists, but this is absurd. If ignorance claims victory and the riders boycott a race at Motegi, I fear my patronage in the series will come to an end. Am I being naive? Am I judging them unfairly? Did I miss something here? Forgive me if I am being too dramatic.
Keep up the marvelous work!
--Anders Bee

Colin Edwards just received more than twice the radiation from the x-ray on his collarbone
than he'd have been exposed to during the return flight from Texas to Narita.
Which Julian points out is less than they'll be exposed to during their entire stay in Motegi.