Kasma Daniel to Replace Kohta Nozane at the Italian and German GP

June 7, 2023—Kohta Nozane was ruled unfit to take part in this weekend’s Gran Premio d’ Italia and the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin will step up as replacement rider for Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, joining Manuel Gonzalez.

Kohta Nozane has been ruled out for this weekend’s Gran Premio d’ Italia and the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland due to the back injury he sustained in Round 1.

After a few more weeks of rest, the Japanese rider will undergo another check to assess if he can join Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp in the Moto2 class again at the TT Assen round, held from 23-25 June. In the meantime, former Yamaha VR46 Master Camp attendee Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin will step up as replacement rider.

Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp sincerely thank Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd. (also known as Yamaha Motor Malaysia) for their support in making this quick rider change possible.

Tetsu Ono: General Manager – Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.’s Motorsports Strategy Division

“First of all, I would like to express my sympathies to Kohta Nozane. We fully understand that this waiting to rejoin the Moto2 championship must be frustrating for him. However, we take his health and well-being very seriously. We therefore fully adhere to the medical experts’ advice to give him a few more weeks to fully recover. In the meantime, we need a replacement rider for Kohta. Thanks to Yamaha Motor Malaysia and the connections of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, we were able to recruit Kasma Daniel. He is very welcome in our team, and we will do our utmost this weekend to make him feel as comfortable as possible during this transition. It will be interesting to watch his return to Moto2. He has some experience in this class, so it will be interesting to work with him.”

Kohta Nozane

“It’s not easy to stay patient, but as the medical advisors suggested, it’s better if I continue to focus on recovering for a few more weeks. It’s not the news I wanted to hear, but the team has been very supportive. I will continue to work on getting back to being fully fit. My new target is to join the team in Assen in two weeks’ time. I hope that will happen!”

Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin

“First, I’d like to thank Yamaha and Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp for this chance. It won’t be easy because the level in the Moto2 World Championship is high, but I’m keen to make the most of the opportunity. It will be interesting to make kilometres on a Moto2 bike again. It’s been a while for me because I’m riding in the Asia Superbike 1000 category now. But I’ll do my best, and I’ll work a lot with the team.”

About Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin

Nationality: Malaysian

Date of birth: 02/09/2000

Kasma Daniel bin Kasmayudin is well-known by Yamaha and VR46, as he was one of the first Yamaha VR46 Master Camp training week’s students, taking part in the first and second edition, both held in 2016.

Kasma Daniel went on to make his debut in the Moto3 World Championship as a wild card at the 2017 Malaysian GP. Though unable to finish the race, it gave him his first taste of competing on a world championship level.

Following a strong campaign in FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 with the SIC Intact GP team in 2019, Kasma Daniel reentered the MotoGP paddock in the 2020 season when he was promoted to the FIM Moto2 World Championship with the Onexox TKKR SAG Team.

It meant a temporary stop for Kasma Daniel before taking on a new challenge. He moved on to the 2022 Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), securing two wins, five podium positions, and overall third place in the Asia Superbike 1000cc (ASBK1000) class. That same year, he was offered another wild card at the 2022 Malaysian GP, this time in the Moto2 class and finished 19th.

In 2023, he is still competing in the Asia Superbike 1000cc (ASBK1000) class with Yamaha Asean Team riding a Yamaha YZF-R1M, but he is happy to fill in for Kohta Nozane in the Moto2 class during the 2023 Italian and German GP.