MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 ROUND 12 – GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN, MOTEGI 14 SEPTEMBER 2005 – EVENT PREVIEW KAWASAKI TEAM PRIMED FOR HOME RACE AT MOTEGI The Kawasaki Racing team are targeting a season-best result at their home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, at Motegi this Sunday. The assault will be led by home hero Shinya Nakano, a class act who delivered a memorable third place podium result aboard a Ninja ZX-RR in this race just one year ago. Nakano, 27, opened the championship with a superb fifth place in the Spanish GP at Jerez and has been impressively fast ever since that first race. Boosted by the positive results at recent test sessions, both Nakano and German teammate, Alex Hofmann, are in a confident mood in advance of the 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship. Sunday’s race will be conducted under the full glare of Kawasaki’s management and staff, plus a boisterous band of Japanese fans with a specially allocated “Green Team” grandstand already sold out. Four hours of practice and qualifying with give Nakano and Hofmann an opportunity to complete final evaluation of the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR in advance of Sunday’s 24-lap race. At recent test sessions at Brno and Autopolis (in Japan) an upgraded engine specification has shown improved top end power, at increased engine revs, while maintaining bottom-end acceleration. Like Kawasaki, Motegi is a home race for leading Japanese tyre brand Bridgestone, who are eager to repeat their outstanding 2004 race result – victory with Makoto Tamada and third with Nakano. Bridgestone’s latest generation of increasingly competitive race rubber with improved grip and endurance, plus their winning experience at Motegi, will be a key factor. Both Nakano and Hofmann have enjoyed a two-week break since last month’s busy Brno race and test schedule, although Nakano has had little time to relax. The popular Japanese rider is in big demand for promotional, media and sponsor obligations, which must be balanced against his motivation to deliver a strong race performance in his home event. But Motegi is a happy hunting ground for Nakano, who won his first grand prix (250cc) here in the 1999 and his five-year-old 250cc lap record, set in 2000, still stands. The Twin Ring Motegi complex is a convoluted combination of 4.8 km road circuit and high-banked Indycar oval. Despite its length the GP circuit is notoriously stop-go, with six extreme braking points with short corners linked by drag-strip straights. Shinya Nakano: #56 “I’m chasing my best result of the season, I want to show that fifth in Jerez, or even higher, is the potential of the Kawasaki team. The latest engine parts have improved top end power, with more over-rev, and we have also found a good balance with bottom-end power, which is very important at Motegi. My podium last year is a very nice memory but everyone is going much faster now – even a top four result will not be easy. Tyres will be critical and Bridgestone have been working very hard, I’m sure we will have something special for this race. I understand the Motegi track very well and combined with the latest engine and chassis parts I’m confident the ZX-RR will be very competitive.” Alex Hofmann: #66 “Motegi is always a special race for our team but I enjoy it, the atmosphere is great and the track a different challenge with the very heavy braking and tight corners. The work at our recent tests appears positive for Motegi – more stability under braking and some impressive tyre options from Bridgestone. Grip under acceleration and endurance will be critical this weekend and I’m sure Bridgestone will have the answers. No doubt there will be plenty of focus on Kawasaki’s efforts this weekend and I’m eager to show the full potential of the Ninja ZX-RR and contribute to what I hope will be our best team result of the season.” More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Pons: FEATURE – JAPANESE GRAND PRIX – 18/09/05 MOTEGI PONS SPREADS HONDA’S WINGS AT MOTEGI World Champion Valentino Rossi suffering three successive defeats at the same circuit by the same MotoGP team. Next you will be telling us you saw a Yeti running out of the woods that overlook the Motegi circuit in Japan and that Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest. I did make up the Yeti and Norway stories but Rossi’s demise for the last three years, thanks to the considerable efforts of one team, is absolutely true. The stage of this most unlikely trilogy is situated high in the hills, some 100 kilometres north of Tokyo in Japan at the Motegi race track that was only built just eight years ago. For the last three years as Rossi has steamrollered the opposition into submission, one team has stood up to the Italian at the home of their Constructer. Team Honda Pons have brought a temporary but certainly refreshing halt, to Rossi amazing assault by winning the last three MotoGP Grands Prix at the 4.801km circuit that was built and is owned by Honda. Alex Barros, Max Biaggi and Makoto Tamada have all stood on the top step of the Motegi victory podium proudly listening to their country’s national anthem while one man has stood alongside each time. Team Principle Sito Pons knows all about winning both from the saddle and from the pit wall, but even the articulate Spaniard finds it hard to actually pin point the reasons for his team’s domination of Motegi for the last three years – not that he’s complaining. “I think the fact that Motegi is the home of our Constructer Honda must have given us wings,” said a smiling Pons, as he checked the considerable achievements of his team in Japan for the last three years. “It’s difficult to explain just why we have been so successful in Motegi. Of course we always try to do our very best in Japan which is such an important race for Honda and our sponsors but we also put in the same effort and dedication at all the other MotoGP venues.” That first win for the team three years ago was probably the most dramatic in a season of transition between 500cc two-strokes and 990cc four-strokes. Throughout a very tough season, Barros and Loris Capirossi had battled gallantly against the odds on the ageing two-strokes against the mighty new 990cc new boys on the block, until round 13 of the title chase at Motegi. The Honda Pons team were given one of the new all conquering RCV 211 four-strokes for the very first time. One bike and two riders, it was an agonising decision by the team who would ride the new machine. After much deliberation it went to Brazilian Barros. The performance by both riders, one in joy and the other in disappointment, in the 24 lap race not only was testimony to their skill and commitment but also to the man management skill of the Team Principle. From the very first practice session on Friday morning, Barros bonded with the RCV Honda more like an old friend rather than a new acquaintance. He qualified on the second row of the grid and in the race took full advantage of others misfortunes to make it the perfect debut and wondering just what might have happened if he’d ridden the machine earlier in the year. Barros won the race from Rossi with over 1.6 seconds to spare while team-mate Capirossi was stung into frantic action after his rejection. Screaming among the four-strokes, the tough little Italian qualified on the front row in third place and repeated the performance in the race to finish on the podium, in front of some of the four-strokes he so wanted to ride. Max Biaggi joined the team in 2003 together with new title sponsors Camel and the former 250cc World Champion crossed the line in first place for the first time of the season at Motegi. Just under three months earlier, Biaggi won the British Grand Prix although he actually crossed the line in second place but was awarded the victory when Rossi, who’d crossed the line first, was penalised 30 seconds for overtaking under yellow flags. Biaggi’s 24 lap victory at Motegi was much more clear-cut. Biaggi, who’d started from pole, took the lead on the third lap and proceeded to pull away from the opposition headed by Rossi, who was nearly three seconds adrift at the finish. There was plenty of drama behind him with Makoto Tamada being disqualified from third place after a collision with Sete Gibernau on the last lap. One year later Tamada returned to his homeland and gained ample revenge. Tamada had joined Biaggi at Camel Honda in 2004 and secured his first grand prix victory at Rio in Brazil, riding the Bridgestone shod RCV. He returned home to Motegi absolutely bursting with confidence which was soon clear for all, including the opposition, to see. He dominated qualifying, won the race with nearly three seconds to spare from Rossi and also established a new lap record. Not a bad weekends work for Tamada who’d left Motegi the previous year without even a hint of that trademark smile. This weekend Rossi only has to finish second in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi to win his seventh MotoGP title. There is little doubt that the brilliant Italian will retain that World crown but at Motegi? I’ll be looking out for that Yeti and checking on Norway’s progress at Eurovision before I make any predictions but don’t rule out Camel Honda if you take note of previous form. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi 16, 17, 18 Sept 2005 HONDA STARS REVVED-UP FOR STRONG HOME SHOWING Honda’s MotoGP men are ready to give the factory the results it deserves at its ‘home’ track here at Motegi. Max Biaggi (Repsol Honda RC211V) and Marco Melandri (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) currently lie second and third in the World Championship standings. Neither has won a race so far this season and this is the place where they would like to change that. Only 17 points separate the riders in second down to seventh place in the overall points table and the fight is on to secure the coveted runner-up position in the World Championship and to deny the series leader any further victories this year. Sete Gibernau (Team Movistar Honda RC211V) has finished runner-up for the last two years and the Spaniard is determined to get the better of series leader Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) here at Motegi. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V), who won in commanding style in the United States at Laguna Seca this year, is another man hungry for a win here. Alex Barros (Camel Honda RC211V) tasted success in Portugal earlier this season and the experienced Brazilian is eager to add another victory to his tally of seven premier class wins. He finished second here in 2001 and won here in 2002. Troy Bayliss (Camel Honda RC211V) will not be riding here after injuring his wrist while training on a motocross bike in his native Australia after the Czech Grand Prix. The Aussie is bitterly disappointed but knows that long-time Honda man Tohru Ukawa will be a strong replacement. Ukawa’s best here was a fourth place in 2002 in the MotoGP class, but the Japanese stalwart has since put in many miles testing for HRC. He said, “Motegi has always been a difficult track in races for me, but I now have a lot more experience. I will do my best as always to help Honda and the team.” Ukawa rode for Camel Honda during the 2003 season. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V), who won here last year, is another rider who needs a good result here at his home track after enduring a difficult season so far, blighted by an early injury. The ‘Twin Ring’ Motegi track, built in 1998, lies 150km north of Tokyo. It is owned by Honda and features a outer ‘Indy” style oval with a regular track in the infield. This features a relatively short 762m main straight, eight right turns, six lefts, with a grippy, smooth and predictable surface. The largely constant-radius, second and third gear turns are linked by medium-length straights. Set-up requires a bike that’s stable both under fierce acceleration and equally severe braking. Front/rear balance and suspension settings are key, and the RC211V’s smooth and predictable power delivery is a real bonus here. The track also features gradient and a spectacular tunnel, although nothing in the way of camber. The back straight is downhill into a tight right-hand bend. And although the main straight is only 0.762km long, the tunnel between turn five and the 130R turn more than makes up for a long main chute in terms of spectacle and rarity value. No other MotoGP track boasts subway sections. Max said, “I qualified okay last year in Motegi but ended the race very early in a big crash on the first corner. This year we need to go well from Friday. We had a good few days testing after the last Grand Prix. I really want to keep the second place in the Championship and I want to show all my fans and my team that we can make it. Japan is always a good track for me and it’s also a good opportunity to meet all my Japanese fans again.” “I’m looking forward to this end part of the season,” said Nicky. “Riding the bike in Japan for a factory Honda rider is a real honour. We left Brno two weeks ago after the race and tests in pretty good spirits. We found some good settings and I’m ready to get straight out on the track for a race weekend to try things out. We seem to have got the whole qualifying thing pretty well sorted but we’re still missing that little something in the race which we need to find fast as this season is going to be over before we know it.” Sete Gibernau said, “The Twin Ring is Honda’s track and for our team it’s important to do well. The part I enjoy the most is the series of corners, four to be exact, which are taken after exiting the first tunnel. The sequence of right corner, left corner and right corner and left corner again are fun to ride, every corner is a bit slower than the one before it. Motegi is very good for the characteristics of our Honda bike. I have had some good races here even if until now I still haven’t had great results.” His team-mate Marco Melandri said, “The Twin Ring is a not very quick track, but it’s a lot of fun. There are many places where you can overtake and many long braking areas. The part of the track I prefer is the one that goes from the corner 130R Mito to the next variation. The slowest part of the track is the chicane before the downhill straight and here it’s important to be very aggressive during braking and then to really get on the throttle.” Tamada said, “Finally ‘my’ Grand Prix, where I absolutely need an excellent result. It will not be easy with the high level my rivals are at, but I would really like things to go back in the right direction for me and the team. I really like this race and I think the most attractive parts of it are the hard braking at the end of the longest straight. That’s where you can gain or lose most of the time. I’m sure that we’ll have fun, I only ask for fortune to be with me.” Alex Barros said, “I like Motegi, it’s a track where I can look back at some great races, and not just the win in 2002, when I rode this Honda four-stroke for the first time, but also the podium from the year before. Last year’s race was also good for me, because after the first corner incident where lots of riders crashed out, I was in last place, at the back of the group. The whole race was a fight-back for me, and finally I came fourth, just a couple of seconds off the podium, just behind Nakano. We will try to make the most of the team’s experience on this track, so we can have another great race.” Dani Pedrosa (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) leads the 250cc class World Championship by 59 points from Aprilia’s Casey Stoner and the sensational Spanish star is ready to press home his title advantage here. Third-placed Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) will be looking to take overall second-place from Stoner in the title run-in. Dani’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Team Movistar Honda RS250RW) will be eager to score highly in his ‘home’ race, and his younger brother, who has won three races in the All Japan 250 series, will be riding as ‘wild card’ here. Dani, who won here in 2004, said, “Japan always signals the start of a decisive stage in the season. It is the first of three consecutive races and whether you like it or not the result here can always influence what comes afterwards. I particularly like Motegi. Last year was probably the hardest because it came just after I had an operation for compartmental syndrome and the stitches were still sore. Even so we had a great race and I won so I hope we can get a good result again.” Hiro said, “The Grand Prix of Japan is a special event for me, the most important of the season. I grew up at this circuit and it is a part of my life. I scored my first ever victory at Motegi in the All Japan 250cc Championship, in the year I finished as champion. I spend all season a long way from home but all my friends and family are with me at this Grand Prix. Obviously the pressure is higher at Motegi my brother is racing against me, everybody around me wants me to win and so do I but I feel comfortable.” Dovizioso said, “The next weeks will be very difficult for all riders and teams: five races in 6 weeks are not exactly a child’s play. It will be very important to maintain the mental concentration for a long time and to avoid any physical problems in the first races. The risk is throwing away a lot of points. Last year I won in 125cc class. This year Honda is again the favourite but Pedrosa has the same Honda and one year more experience.” Dovi’s team-mate Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing Team Honda RS250RW) who also has a brother racing here this weekend, said, “Motegi is my home race and I have to shoot all my cartridges! Here, last year, I was riding well in my first race in the World Championship and I finished in 5th position”¦ not bad for a wild card. Not only that but I won the All Japan Championship here too. It is the most important race for me and I must keep my concentration.” Young Swiss Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) leads the 125cc World Championship standings and he will be anxious to secure a win for Honda here this weekend and to gain maximum points for himself with just five races to go after this one. Luthi said, “Motegi is okay for me. I like a couple of parts of the track. The downhill into the fast right hand corner is great and there are many stop and go places where you have to use hard braking.” Fabrizio Lai (Kopron Racing World Honda RS125RW), who is currently sixth overall, said, “At Motegi I made my first podium in 2004 (second place with Gilera). This track is particularly favourable to Honda and my hopes are clearly very high for a strong result here.” Both Tomoyoshi Koyama (Ajo Motorsport Honda RS125R) and Toshihisa Kuzuhara (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) will be bringing their experience of Motegi to bear as they complete their first full seasons of World Championship racing.