Teams preview Motegi MotoGP
Located in a vast area of natural beauty, the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan consists of a 2.5 km banked oval and a classic 4.8 km road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as a test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became home to MotoGP in 2000. Twin Ring Motegi, which is around 100 km from Tokyo’s Narita airport, 40 km from Utsunomiya and 30 km from Mito, is the venue for the Honda Collection Hall museum, as well as a safety and riding school, dirt-track and go-kart tracks, a hotel, a restaurant, shops and event halls.
Yamaha Preview
After a fantastic victory by Jorge Lorenzo at Aragon only a fortnight ago, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team prepares for the tripleheader overseas races, starting at the home of Yamaha with the Grand Prix of Japan.
Though Valentino Rossi suffered a bump to the head during a crash at Aragon, the nine-time World Champion escaped serious injuries and is expected to compete in the GP of Motegi without any physical problems. This weekend he has made it his mission to fight with the front-runners. Rossi has been successful at this track numerous times before. In the premier class he has been victorious at the Motegi circuit in 2001 and 2008, scored second place in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009 and achieved third place in 2010.
After a great weekend at Aragon, teammate Lorenzo is also thrilled to return to the Japanese track. He will aim for another spectacular victory like last year’s perfect performance. Over the last six years, the Spaniard has climbed the Motegi podium four times, winning the Japanese GP in 2009 and 2013, finishing in second place in 2011 and 2012.
The Twin Ring circuit at Motegi in Japan was built by Honda in 1997 for test purposes. Two years later the 4.801m road circuit was first visited by the MotoGP circus and instantly became a major attraction for motorsports fans thanks to its rich motorsports heritage. Motegi was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2000 as the Pacific Grand Prix until it replaced the Suzuka circuit in 2004 as the host of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Valentino Rossi – “Aragon was a very difficult race weekend but there were also many positive aspects. First, the bike was really ok on Sunday. I immediately felt good on the bike as soon as I arrived on the grid. In the first laps I was able to make good overtakes and stay with the top three riders. My team did a really good job. Another positive thing is that I have not done anything, apart from the big headache the next few days! I feel very well and I look forward to the tripleheader overseas races because I am feeling better and better on the bike and the team are working really well. The fight for second place is getting interesting, we will try to achieve the best result possible! Japan is not one of my favorite tracks but also Aragon was not and still we went very well. We will see. It’s Yamaha’s home GP and we will do our best to get a good result! “
Jorge Lorenzo – “First of all I would say it was a fantastic feeling to win at home in Aragón. We were able to manage a difficult race and taste the first victory of the 2014 season, which was amazing after a disappointing start. We solved many problems during the weekend and did a great job on Sunday with the whole team. Now we are traveling to Japan, a country I love for many reasons. I have great memories from last year, when we surprised everyone with a huge success in our rival’s home. Last year we won at Motegi and also achieved the 200th victory for Yamaha in front of the two Honda bikes. It was unbelievable! Hopefully we can repeat it this time with another perfect weekend.”
Massimo Meregalli – “We now start the first of the three races overseas. The team always enjoys going to Motegi. It’s a fast track that Vale and Jorge both like. The expected weather for this weekend might complicate proceedings, but we have shown what we are capable of last year when the team had a fantastic weekend under difficult circumstances. We are looking forward to setting up the M1 on Friday for the first practice and we’ll try our best no matter what. Vale and Jorge winning the last two GP’s gives me confidence that we can continue as key protagonists.”
Tech3 pair travels east for triple header showdown starting at Motegi
Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith travel to Japan for round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship full of confidence and ready for the fierce challenge at Motegi on Yamaha’s home soil, aboard their YZR-M1’s.
The Grand Prix of Japan, which is sponsored by Tech3’s partner Motul, is held at the legendary Twin Ring Motegi and is located in the northern Kanto district roughly 150 km from Tokyo. The unique venue consists of two circuits, a 2.4 km oval and a 4.6 km road course which together makes the Twin Ring 4801 meters in length and consists of six left hand corners and eight right. It was originally built in 1997 and two years later the MotoGP paddock attended its first race there with a Grand Prix event being held every year consistently, making the 2014 outing the 16th visit to Motegi.
Pol Espargaro will enter his 15th MotoGP race at Japan where he will forcefully intend to continue his bright form and additionally open the first of the three fly away events with an impressive run to challenge inside the top five. The rookie currently sits in seventh in the world championship and aims to build upon this placing in the standings this weekend with a top points scoring finish. On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, British star Bradley Smith will strongly seek to continue the positive momentum from his impressive fifth place at the previous round aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1 in Sunday’s Motul Grand Prix of Japan. The 23 year old rider will intend to ride to a hard fought result and battle for the title of the leading satellite MotoGP bike at the stop and go Twin Ring circuit.
Pol Espargaro – “I am very excited for this weekend as I am sure we can have a great race at Motegi after a positive performance at the last round. There is a lot of emphasis on hard braking at the Japanese circuit due to the nature of the track, which is a bit similar to Aragon where we were solid. We are good on the brakes so this could really help us here in securing a strong finish and I will push hard to be as close to the leaders as possible. Ultimately, our efforts and improvements on the front in Spain resulted in making some progress in closing in on the Factory Yamaha riders a bit more. This is a big step forward and leaves me feeling confident for the 24 lap sprint on Sunday. I won the Moto2 race here last year, so I have fond memories of the track and of course, the fantastic fans. I am full of optimism and I am eager to start the Twin Ring Motegi challenge on my Yamaha YZR-M1”
Bradley Smith – “I can’t wait to get the three consistent races off to a bright start in Japan, especially after a great result in Aragon, which boosted my confidence and has put me in good stead for the final four rounds. We undertook some really useful work in Spain where we focused on improving the feeling under braking and the stability of the Yamaha, which will certainly be very important at Motegi. I am certain that with the valuable information we collected at Aragon, we will be able to get up to speed quickly so that we can hit the ground running for this weekend. Our endeavours at the last round were rewarded and I will battle my hardest to produce another display like this. Plus for added motivation, it is Yamaha’s home Grand Prix, so I really am looking forward to leaving the pit lane on Friday morning and heading out onto the Twin Ring circuit where I am determined to score a great result in front of the Japanese fans”
NGM Forward Racing on the way to Japan for the first round of the triple back-to-back races
The NGM Forward Racing Team heads overseas for the Japanese GP, an important appointment in the 2014 calendar with a schedule busy of promotional events for the Japanese fans that pack the grandstands of the Twin Ring Motegi.
Strengthened by the podium claimed at Aragon in the MotoGP class, Aleix Espargaro looks forward to the Japanese round to continue the very positive momentum that sees him sixth in the Championship. Also team mate Alex De Angelis is determined to get another good result at the Twin Ring Motegi, a circuit that features hard braking and strong acceleration.
The Twin Ring road-racing circuit, in mountainous country 120 km north-east of Tokyo, is part of a much larger complex and is integrated with a banked oval circuit. The complex also features kart, oval dirt-track and trials courses and driver-training facilities plus the Honda Collection Hall.
Aleix Espargaro – “We arrive in Japan after the great second place scored at Aragon. It was an enormous satisfaction to get this result, a target we were chasing since Qatar GP. I look forward to race in Japan to continue this positive momentum and we are determined to get another good result. Motegi is a “stop and go” track, where we spend a lot of time in the first and second gears. Acceleration here is very important and I’m confident to make another strong performance.”
Alex De Angelis – “I look forward to race in Japan. The scaphoid fracture should be completely recovered so I should be able to ride without any pain. This is very important especially at Motegi as the track is technical and also physically demanding. It as tight and slow corners, which means strong braking and acceleration. It’s not one of my favourite circuits but I have good races here in the past with also some podium finishes.”
Katsuyuki Nakasuga to Make Wildcard Entry Grand Prix of Japan
Katsuyuki Nakasuga will make a wildcard entry for the third year in a row in the Grand Prix of Japan, Round 15 of the 2014 FIM MotoGP World Championship.
Nakasuga is involved in the development of Yamaha’s YZR-M1 MotoGP machine and has competed in five MotoGP races, with results including a second-place podium finish at the 18th round of the 2012 season, the Grand Prix of Valencia.
This time he will be entered as a member of the “YAMALUBE Racing Team with YSP” team, whose title sponsor is the global Yamaha Genuine Oil brand, YAMALUBE. The purpose of his entry is to evaluate the results of the YZR-M1’s development in actual race conditions.
Nakasuga is a four-time champion of the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championships (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013), and he is competing again this year with the aim of winning his third consecutive title in this class.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga – “I’m glad to be able to compete again this year in my home country’s Grand Prix of Japan in the world’s pinnacle class of road racing, MotoGP. There’s no greater competitive arena for a motorcycle racer like myself. Since I’ll be riding the YZR-M1 that I’m involved in developing as a test rider, my participation will naturally involve development evaluation. But, I also want to put in a ‘Katsuyuki Nakasuga’ style performance that will live up to the expectations of the fans that have rooted for me. I hope everyone will come to the circuit to cheer me on.”
Repsol HRC Preview
After a difficult race in Aragón, Spain, where late rain caused havoc in the dying laps and for the first time in 36 races (Misano 2012) a Repsol Honda rider failed to take a podium finish, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa are en route to Japan for the first of the three fly-away races.
Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the twin ring circuit at Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became home to MotoGP in 2000. Marc won here in 2012 (Moto2) and 2010 (125cc) and finished 2nd in 2013 (MotoGP) and 2011 (Moto2). Dani has enjoyed three victories – 2012, 2011 (MotoGP) and 2004 (250cc), one 2nd place finish in 2005 (250cc) and three 3rd positions in 2013, 2009 and 2008 (MotoGP).
This weekend will serve as the first chance for reigning World Champion, Marc, to retain his crown. With a margin of 75 points over second place Dani, a win in Motegi would seal the Championship. A finish other than 1st would then rely on the final placement of his competitors.
Marc Marquez – Championship Standing: 1st – 292 points – “Aragón was a difficult situation and we learnt a valuable lesson. However, we were lucky that we didn’t lose points to our rivals and now I know that in Japan it’s my first chance to take the Championship. I will try not to think about it too much – even if I know it would be great to achieve this on Honda’s home soil – we will go there and work hard from day one and treat it as a normal race weekend and push for the victory on Sunday. Last year was my first visit to Motegi on a MotoGP machine and it was a very difficult weekend, so we hope to have more dry track time this year to find a good setup!”
Dani Pedrosa – Championship Standing: 2nd – 217 points – “Obviously Aragon was a tough race and in the end I made the wrong choice not to come in earlier. Anyway, we have moved on and now I am focused on Motegi. I always enjoy travelling to Honda’s home race, it’s a big event for Honda and this always gives me extra motivation to perform well. The track has a lot of heavy braking and acceleration points, so a good setup is essential for the braking stability and to get good traction out of the corners. Let’s hope the weather is better than last year!”
Ducati Preview
The Ducati Team is gearing up to tackle Sunday’s Grand Prix of Japan, round 15 of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship and the first leg in a tough overseas end-of-season triple-header, which will continue with two more rounds in Australia and Malaysia in the next two weekends.
The Twin Ring Motegi circuit, which has been the venue for a round of the premier category in Japan since 1999 (called the Pacific GP from 2000 to 2003), has a very unusual layout, with a series of long straights followed by tight corners that are a tough test for the brakes of the bikes and their performance in acceleration.
In recent years the Ducati Team has scored some excellent results at this circuit; in particular the four victories obtained by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, who won his first world title with Ducati in 2007 at Motegi. Andrea Dovizioso likes the Japanese circuit and has appeared on the podium in all three categories, winning the 125cc race in 2004, while Cal Crutchlow qualified on the front row in 2012 but last year was unable to go any higher than seventh place in the race.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – “Motegi is a track that I like, especially because I am a hard braker and this is an advantage, due to the characteristics of the track. I think that our GP14 can again be competitive in Japan, because in the last four races we have always been competitive at circuits with completely different characteristics. So for sure we’ll be going to Motegi very motivated! Here I’ve scored some good results in MotoGP, especially in 2010 when I set pole position, my only pole so far in MotoGP, and then finished the race with a great second place.”
Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – “With a good result at Aragon under our belt, we are looking forward to going to Japan, where I’ve got a lot of fans, and hopefully we can keep improving. I’m pleased with the work the guys in the team have done with me recently, and obviously now we are in better shape than what we were before. Motegi is a bit of a strange track because of its hard braking, but that’s good for me and it will be interesting to see how we go there.”
Drive M7 Aspar Preview
It’s the moment of truth for the MotoGP World Championship as the paddock is packed up into flight cases and sent off to the other side of the world for three races that traditionally decide the title outcomes in the three categories. Japan, Malaysia and Australia are the destinations for the next three races with Motegi playing host to the fifteenth round of the season this Sunday. The home of Honda is a special circuit that places huge demands on the riders and machines, with a passionate local crowd that will look forward to welcoming the elite series of motorcycle racing after an Aragón round that saw three of the top four riders in the championship crash out. Despite Jorge Lorenzo’s victory in Spain, Marc Márquez has it all in his favour to wrap up the title with three rounds to spare – the current World Champion just needs to finish in front of Dani Pedrosa to seal a successful defence of his crown.
Hiroshi Aoyama heads to his home race in good form after taking a big step forward in the last round at Aragón, which he backed up with his best race result of the season in eighth place. The DRIVE M7 Aspar Team rider and his crew managed to improved the handling and corner speed of his Honda and now he heads to Motegi feeling full of confidence and motivation. Nicky Hayden made a dream return to action following a lengthy lay-off through injury at Aragón, the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team rider picking up a ninth place finish after building his feeling all weekend. The American knows Motegi presents a tougher challenge with its numerous hard-braking zones, which will put huge demands on his recently-operated wrist.
Hiroshi Aoyama: “Next weekend is my home Grand Prix. Racing in Japan is always an extra source of motivation, because I am surrounded by my family, friends and fans. We go into the race in good form, we took a big step forward at Aragón and we’re a moving in the right direction. We made some changes to the set-up that improved the handling and speed of the bike so hopefully we can continue to improve it at Motegi. I know the circuit well, which is a good thing, but the hard acceleration zones and long straights won’t necessarily help us compared to the factory bikes. Even so we will look to do our best. We closed the gap to the factory riders at Motorland so let’s see if we can get even closer at Motegi. Motegi, Phillip Island and Sepang are hugely different tracks from one to the next but we have a good base set-up so we can look ahead to this run of races with optimism.”
Nicky Hayden: “The Grand Prix of Japan is always an interesting and different weekend. It’s a special atmosphere, the fans are passionate and Japan is the home of most of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. I love racing in Japan and I have had some good times there in the past, in fact last year I started from the front row at Motegi, which was good. This weekend will be tough because I am still working hard physically to get back to my best shape and Motegi is a demanding track, with some of the hardest braking on the whole calendar. Obviously that’s not ideal for a rider that has under gone major wrist surgery recently but at Aragón I was able to get a feel for riding again and I am looking forward to giving my best to be as fast and competitive as possible in Japan. This is still a recovery phase for me and I know it will take another couple of races to get back to full strength but I will not stop working until we get there. It’s a demanding three weeks ahead but I love the flyaway races because we go to three very different but equally interesting circuits.”
Gresini Honda Preview
Alvaro Bautista and Scott Redding head this weekend to Honda’s home circuit, the Twin Ring Motegi, in Japan, to compete in the round number 15 of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, the first of three back-to-back flyaway races.
The Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini is confident that Alvaro can return to a good level of competitiveness with Alvaro Bautista on a “stop&go”, track, with strong braking and acceleration zones. Moreover, in the other two occasions the Spaniard rode a Honda MotoGP machine at Motegi, he took a third and a fourth place finish.
Bautista’s teammate, Scott Redding, on the other hand is determined to return at the top among the riders aboard the Open Class Honda RCV1000R, after having missed the target in the last two races at Misano and Aragon. The English rookie – who last year in Moto2 took part at the Japanese round with a wrist injury – has, however, collected points in all the last 12 races.
Alvaro Bautista – “Motegi is a very unique track: it’s usually called a ‘Honda’ track because of its ‘stop&go’ layout, which requires good traction. Unfortunately, lately we’re struggling with that, but we hope to continue to grow and to start in the best possible way the first of three races in a row: during the race at Aragon race we were fighting to get into the top five on both dry and wet condition, and this is a positive sign. The track does not particularly excites me, but in the last two years I’ve always been very strong there. I hope to be able to find quickly a good set-up that can allow me to be consistent, then we will give our best in the race”.
Scott Redding – “We are fresh from two difficult races, Misano and Aragon, but I think we have the potential to bounce back in the three flyaway races, starting from Motegi. Moreover, in the first half of the race at Aragon we were the top Production Racer Honda, then the arrival of the rain changed everything. I’m looking forward to go out on track at Motegi aboard a MotoGP bike and I hope to have a nice weekend, given that last year in Moto2 I had to race with an injured wrist and I was involved in a crash during the first lap of the race, losing my title hopes”.
Bridgestone Preview
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Extra-soft, Soft & Medium (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Round fifteen of the 2014 MotoGP™ season takes place at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, a technical circuit with strong braking and acceleration zones that features an abrasive, high-grip track surface.
Measuring approximately 4.8 kilometres in length, Motegi is characterised by four straights that create numerous heavy braking and acceleration zones. The layout imposes considerable force on the centre of the section of the front and rear tyres, so the tyre allocation needs to provide high levels of stability under braking, and good rear grip for acceleration. This demand for front-end stability and rear grip is countered by the cool weather conditions that are often encountered at Motegi, which demand good warm-up performance from the tyres.
The Twin Ring circuit is comprised of eight right-hand and six left-hand corners, and asymmetric rear slicks with slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder are provided at this track. The rear tyre options for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders are the soft and medium compounds, while the Ducati and Open-class riders will get access to the extra-soft and soft compounds. Front slick tyre options at Motegi are the soft, medium and hard compounds.
Rainy periods are often experienced at Motegi and as always Bridgestone will have two compounds of wet tyres for the riders to utilise. The main wet tyre will be the soft compound to ensure maximum warm-up performance and grip in cooler conditions, while up to two front and rear wet tyres in the alternative, hard compound will also be available to every rider.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department – “The Japanese Grand Prix is always of great importance to Bridgestone as not only is it our home race, it is also the scene of many our brightest moments in the sport including being where we secured our first two World Championships; first with Casey in 2007 and then with Valentino in 2008. We could see another World Champion crowned this weekend at Motegi, with Marc poised to win the championship and so this race will be greeted with a great sense of anticipation from the fans. Adding to the excitement is the level of competitiveness throughout the field with Ducati, Honda and Yamaha being so closely matched recently, so there is a lot to look forward to. As always, we will be involved in a lot of off-track activities at Motegi, including the Bridgestone Talk Show where the Japanese fans will have an opportunity to listen first-hand to the MotoGP riders talk about their love for racing. Also, we will have once again hold a charity auction after the race at the Bridgestone stage, and thanks to the support of the teams and riders over the years, we have managed to raise a considerable amount to help the victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. I hope all of our events this weekend enjoy the same success as in previous years.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department – “The Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi is held in October and although temperatures at this time are generally cool which requires us to develop tyres which warm up quickly, the track surface is high-grip and abrasive so we need to take a balanced approach to tyre development at this circuit. Also, this year the Japanese round is two weeks earlier than last year so we have slightly adjusted our tyre allocation compared to 2013. At this circuit we need to provide softer compounds to ensure good warm-up performance, but the stop-and-go layout at Motegi features hard braking and acceleration zones, so the tyres also need to provide good stability and durability. Our asymmetric rear slicks at this circuit feature slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder than the left due to the greater number of right-hand corners, but the section of the front and rear tyres which are put under the most strain at Motegi is the centre section.”
