2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix

Date6 April 2003

Official nameSKYY vodka Grand Prix of Japan^[1][2]

LocationSuzuka Circuit

Course

• Permanent racing facility
• 5.824 km (3.619 mi)

  2003 Japanese Grand Prix

Race details
Race 1 of 16 races in the 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	6 April 2003
Official name	SKYY vodka Grand Prix of Japan[1][2]
Location	Suzuka Circuit
Course	Permanent racing facility 5.824 km (3.619 mi)
MotoGP
Pole position Rider Valentino Rossi Honda Time 2:06.838 Fastest lap Rider Valentino Rossi Honda Time 2:04.970 on lap 6 Podium First Valentino Rossi Honda Second Max Biaggi Honda Third Loris Capirossi Ducati
250cc
Pole position Rider Hiroshi Aoyama Honda Time 2:17.930 Fastest lap Rider Hiroshi Aoyama Honda Time 2:09.839 on lap 17 Podium First Manuel Poggiali Aprilia Second Hiroshi Aoyama Honda Third Yuki Takahashi Honda
125cc
Pole position Rider Alex de Angelis Aprilia Time 2:15.417 Fastest lap Rider Stefano Perugini Aprilia Time 2:14.282 on lap 6 Podium First Stefano Perugini Aprilia Second Mirko Giansanti Aprilia Third Steve Jenkner Aprilia

The 2003 Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 4–6 April 2003 at Suzuka. The meeting was overshadowed by the death of Daijiro Kato in the MotoGP race, after he crashed at 130R and hit the barrier at high speed in the ensuing Casio Triangle. Since the accident, Suzuka has been removed from the MotoGP calendar, with the Japanese Grand Prix having been moved to Twin Ring Motegi, the previous home of the Pacific Grand Prix.