Paddock Press: Endo on Nakano´s 2008 season

The sole Japanese representative on the 2008 MotoGP grid, Shinya Nakano had another testing season during his stay with San Carlo Honda Gresini. After a difficult start, better results came for the veteran after receiving a factory-spec RC212V, although it was a case of `too little, too late´ as Nakano´s services were deemed to be surplus to requirements by team manager Fausto Gresini.

A champion of Nakano throughout his time in the World Championship, Tochu newspaper´s Satoshi Endo believes that his fellow Japanese suffered most of all from a lack of feel with qualifying tyres in 2008.

`Shinya was unable to get the best out of his qualifying rubber, but after he got the new bike in Brno he was able to show his capabilities,´ says Endo in today´s Paddock Press. `This was especially true in Malaysia, Australia and Valencia.´