There are two men to have won three MotoGP™ races at the Twin Ring Motegi – Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), and the pendulum of past success at the venue swings between the two. As Pedrosa adds a 250 win and a 125 victory to his tally, Lorenzo hits back with more recent wins – dominating the venue in 2013 and 2014, compared to Pedrosa’s 2015 stunner. One thing is for sure, however – Lorenzo’s final stand against Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) must begin in Motegi – and the venue is a happy hunting ground for the reigning World Champion.
With the flyaway stint seeing three races in a row stack up over October, the home GP of Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki is first up – a real home race for so many on the grid, and Lorenzo is well-prepared for a part of the season that traditionally sees the ‘Spartan’ haul in the points; hunting down another win to mark his fourth victory of the season.
Jorge Lorenzo: “We now kick off the most different part of the season and maybe the most exciting because we face three races in a row and they are all overseas, so physically and mentally it asks a lot from you. On the other hand it is a nice adventure every time we go there. First on the list is Motegi and this track gives me great memories. I love Japan and I like a lot this circuit because of the people and for Yamaha and the other Japanese manufacturers this Grand Prix is so important. This is the real home race! The end of the championship is still quite far away so we need to continue to ride in the best way possible, be competitive and try to win again. It would be fantastic to do that at Yamaha‘s home Grand Prix!”