The Japanese MotoGP race scheduled for Motegi next month will now take place on October 2 following the quake-tsunami disaster which has devastated the country, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) said.

“Due to reasons of force majeure, the Japanese Grand Prix, at the circuit of Twin Ring Motegi, originally scheduled on April 24th, has been postponed to 2nd October 2011,” the FIM statement said.

The revised date means the Japanese event will slot into the MotoGP calendar between the Aragon and Australian races.

The 8.9-magnitude quake caused cracks on the track at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, north of Tokyo, with roads to the circuit and spectator seats also damaged.

It is the second year that the Japanese race has been rescheduled after it was pushed back from April to October 2010 following the volcano in Iceland that prevented most of the paddock from flying from Europe.

The 18-race MotoGP season gets underway in Losail in Qatar on Sunday with the final race in Valencia, Spain on November 6.

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