Yamaha Moves on to Motegi

[totalmotorcycle]

#Yamaha Moves on to #Motegi


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 - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“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."





2014 MotoGP Japan

Twin Ring Motegi 07/10/2014






Circuit Length:
4801
Lap Record:
1'45.589
(Daniel Pedrosa, 1-1-2012)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1'44.969
(Jorge Lorenzo, 14-10-2012)
Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo