TRICKY FRIDAY FOR JOHANN ZARCO IN JAPAN
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 17th on Friday at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Frenchman Zarco and the crew demonstrated resilience on a demanding Friday in Japan, navigating through changing conditions. Despite the difficulties in finding the most suitable setup, they felt some improvements on the front side of the bike.
Tomorrow offers another chance for Zarco and the team to make significant strides. They are diligently
working on various areas to fully exploit the bike’s potential.
Johann Zarco – 17th (1’44.685)
“This is a hard track for us; the lack of acceleration makes us struggle. Everyone is very close, and we are working on improving under different conditions. We’ve confirmed the positive feeling on the front, but we need to adjust some things to do a good job tomorrow.”
TAKAAKI NAKAGAMI ALMOST GETS TO Q2 ON FRIDAY ON HOME SOIL
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami finished 12th on Friday at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Takaaki Nakagami will race on Japanese asphalt for the last time this weekend as a full-time MotoGP rider. Surrounded by his home crowd and feeling the warmth of the fans, Nakagami has experienced the best Friday of the season so far in a circuit he knows and loves.
From the morning session, Nakagami was already feeling
good. Despite the changing conditions during the day, he delivered a strong and fast lap in Practice, almost securing a place in Q2. The rider admitted having noticed improvements in the middle of the corners, which gave him more confidence and consistency over the laps.
Taka Nakagami – 12th (1’44.258)
“It’s been a nice day! I’m happy but a bit disappointed because we almost did it. In any case, it’s been a cool Friday: I’ve been close to the top 10, enjoyed that fast lap, and got a positive feeling on the bike. I know this layout well and felt I could push. Let’s try to take a step tomorrow and enjoy the Sprint!”
UNEXPECTED SPRINT FOR NAKAGAMI IN JAPAN
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami hasn’t been able to finish the Sprint on Saturday at the Mobility Resort Motegi.
Starting from the 21st spot of the grid, Takaaki Nakagami had to face a comeback Sprint to get to the points. After a solid job over the weekend, there was potential to try and get them, as motivation and performance foresaw some steps. However, a movement over the limit by his teammate during an overtake caused
Nakagami to end up on the gravel, finishing with his options.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, Nakagami and his crew are unwavering in their determination to bounce back from this setback. Their goal is to turn the tide and make Nakagami’s last race as a full-time MotoGP rider on his home track a memorable one.
“I’m disappointed with the way my Sprint has finished. It was a risky movement by my teammate, and I ended up on the gravel. Fortunately, I’m fine. This is my home Grand Prix, and I want to reset; tomorrow, we’ll have another chance and need to be ready to fight. I want to thank my fans and team for their support, it means a lot to me.”
TOUGH SPRINT FOR JOHANN ZARCO IN MOTEGI
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco has finished 14th on Saturday’s Sprint.
Under mixed conditions and on a demanding track, Frenchman Zarco started the Sprint from the 16th spot of the grid. Despite having experienced a positive weekend and having noticed some improvements, a few mistakes and other difficulties prevented him from getting to the points.
Sunday’s race will be demanding for Zarco and the crew. After an incident with his teammate, the Frenchman must serve a long lap penalty. However, the team is fully prepared and ready to face these challenges head-on. No matter the circumstances, they are determined to push and fight.
“Today, I made a mistake at the beginning of the race, and when trying to recover from it, I pushed my teammate out of the track. I was overtaking him, but it didn’t end up well, and of course, that’s not cool when it’s your teammate. I apologized to him; this is part of racing. We’ll try again tomorrow, although we know it will be hard as I’ve received a long lap penalty due to the incident.”
EMOTIONAL AND STRONG RACE FOR NAKAGAMI IN JAPAN
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami has crossed the line 13th on Sunday race at the Mobility Resort Motegi.
Takaaki Nakagami gave his all, starting from the 21st spot on the grid, executing a remarkable comeback, and fighting until the end of the race. This was Nakagami’s final race in Motegi as a full-time MotoGP rider, and it was one filled with emotions for him and the crowd.
Whether it was a surge of motivation or recent improvements, Nakagami delivered a powerful performance on home turf, scoring points again. He confessed to feeling at his best on the track, with his only aim being to give his loyal supporters and crew a reason to cheer. And he certainly achieved that, showing his determination to provide a good result.
“It was a very emotional race. I’ve enjoyed it a lot, and I wanted to give my best to my fans. I knew I had nothing to lose starting from the back of the grid, so every risk was worth it, and of course, scoring points is always nice. I tried to catch the group I had in front, but in the end, I crossed the line 13th. During the cool down lap, I could feel the warmth of the fans, and it was extraordinary. I want to thank everybody for supporting me.”
CLEVER RACE FOR JOHANN ZARCO IN JAPAN
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 11th on Sunday race at the Mobility Resort Motegi.
Frenchman Zarco and the crew have done a solid job in Japan and have scored points again, classifying as the first Honda in the standings. Zarco’s performance was not just about avoiding mistakes but also about his clever strategy to improve from yesterday’s Sprint. He almost broke into the top 10 and fought until the last inch of the race.
Today’s result proves that HRC, the riders, and everybody involved in the team are working hard to improve and keep taking steps forward.
“We almost got to the top 10 and this is important. During today’s race I tried to not make mistakes and be always there ready to attack. I expected a last battle, but rivals were struggling, and I believe we all tried to finish in the best possible position without taking risks. It’s been a positive weekend overall.”
