|
| News and products for the motorcycle enthusiast and professional |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
JAPANESE RIDERS TARGET HOME GLORY AS MOTOGP LAUNCHES ASIAN TRIPLE The teams, staff and riders of the MotoGP World Championship convened in the paddock of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit today after filtering west from the Czech Republic onto Japanese shores over the past two weeks. The Grand Prix of Japan gets underway on Friday and is the first of three consecutive races for the series on Asian shores as the 2005 campaign prepares for its traditional end of season climax with a gruelling trip across three continents. Just six rounds remain in total, with the Japan, Malaysia and Qatar triple to be followed by visits to Australia, Turkey and, finally, the Valencia circuit in Spain, giving reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi several opportunities to retain his crown. The first comes this Sunday when the Italian simply needs a top-two result to secure the title, whilst his 132-point advantage at the top of the standings means a lower finish could suffice depending on the results of other riders. “The advantage we have in the championship means that I can ride at each of the remaining six rounds without pressure and try to win every race,” observed Rossi today. “That is the way it has been all season. The championship victory is really near and we have a great advantage. As at every race, we will try to fight for the victory in Motegi. That is the thing I like the most and this will be my main aim on Sunday, even though this track doesn’t suit my style very well.” Whilst Rossi has finished outside the top two only once from the eleven rounds so far this season, on the occasion of his first visit to the Laguna Seca circuit in the United States, his destiny is anything but certain at Motegi, a circuit he earlier admitted is “not the ideal place for a party.” Two riders who would disagree with that theory are Makoto Tamada and Shinya Nakano. The Japanese pair enjoyed the highest point of their respective careers in last year’s race, with Tamada clinching a clear victory over Rossi, his first in the MotoGP class, and Nakano leading Kawasaki back to the podium for the first time in over two decades to trigger joyous celebrations for the home crowd. Things have not progressed as well as Tamada would have hoped after that breakthrough victory, with a wrist injury early in the season putting paid to his hopes of a consistent challenge, but he said today that he was hopeful of recapturing his best form at his home race. “I have been waiting anxiously for this race,” commented Tamada. “Finally my home Grand Prix, where I desperately want an excellent result. It will not be easy given the high level of my rivals but I would really like for things to go back in the right direction for me and for luck to be on my side.” Nakano’s season has been more encouraging, qualifying regularly in the top six and boasting a best finish of fifth in the opening race at Jerez. However, the former 250cc race winner at Motegi is looking to better that performance and even match his result from last year. “I''m chasing my best result of the season, I want to show the potential of the Kawasaki team,” said Nakano, who will be boosted by an upgraded engine specification for the Ninja ZX-RR machine as well as a sell-out grandstand of ''Green Team'' fans. “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.'' Nakano added that he was “99% certain” that he would be extending his contract with Kawasaki for another season, on a day that Loris Capirossi also announced a new one-year deal with Ducati. Gunning for home glory in the 250cc class are former Japanese national champions Hiroshi Aoyama and Yuki Takahashi, who both made their names as Grand Prix wildcards on a career path being followed this weekend by their younger brothers Shuhei and Kuoki. “We have been racing against each other since we were boys, our brothers also, we are very good friends and so are our families,” said Aoyama, whose Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa currently leads the series by 59 points from Casey Stoner. “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 with pressure and it motivates me even more. Last year my best race was at Motegi and now I am even more experienced and better prepared so I hope to be fighting for victory.” Whilst local stars seemingly hold the key to potential success for Honda at their own purpose-built circuit in the MotoGP and 250cc class, Swiss youngster Thomas Lüthi has come a long way to impress factory bosses as he looks to strengthen his grip on the 125cc World Championship. Lüthi currently leads by eight points from KTM rival Mika Kallio as he aims to end a record sequence of 49 races without rider taking consecutive wins in the class.
|
|
| Biker247.com is an Internet publication brought to you by The 247 Network - Visit our other sites at www.the247network.com. |
| The entire content included in this website, including but not limited to text, design, graphics, interfaces, or code and the selection and arrangements thereof is copyrighted as a collective work under the UK and other copyright laws and is the property of The 247 Network. |