Former premier class rider and six-time Grand Prix race winner Shinya Nakano shares his five key points after Friday’s on-track action at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan:
A good setup is vital
“At the Motegi track, you need to have good feeling on the front fork and front tyre. If not, it’s very hard to go fast, so the rider has to find a good setup. Then, also, sometimes you need to adjust the braking point. These are the most important things. Without good setup, here in Motegi, you can’t go fast. This is one of the most important points.”
The weather
“Today’s conditions were not perfect; rain sometimes, temperatures going up and down, so it was very difficult. That’s why some riders could go faster and others not so much. From tomorrow, we’re going to have much better weather. Then we’ll see tomorrow, the results will be more important.”
Marc aiming for title glory
“Marc, of course, wants the Championship here, in front of the Honda people, the Honda factory, this is for sure. But, with the tricky conditions, he didn’t want to take a big risk because he already has the advantage. If the conditions are fine and the machine is okay, I think he’s going to push for the win because this is his style.”
Yamaha improving
“Yamaha are struggling this year but from Thailand they’ve improved a lot. I don’t know exactly why, but I can see they’ve improved. Viñales, for example, pushed very hard from the beginning and even in the rainy conditions, he pushed hard. He wants to get something. I can see he was more confident in the last race. Even Zarco was good. But… sometimes on the first day they are good, second day not so good, so we’ll have to see tomorrow.”
Marquez vs Dovi again?
“If it’s wet, Marc and Dovi were very strong last year. Even in the dry they’ll be very strong. A lot will depend on machine condition, that will be very important. It will be interesting to see the new technology in Motegi.”