The MotoGP World Championships face the final sprint with five Grands Prix in the next six weeks, during which Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez will take their last shot at winning the title in their respective categories. The first opportunity will be at the Japanese Grand Prix, Honda’s own circuit and the venue at which Pedrosa and Dovizioso will race with the motivation of putting in a good performance on HRC home ground.
Following the second place in Aragón and reduction in point’s difference to the leader of the overall classifications over the last three races, Dani Pedrosa arrives at the Japanese Grand Prix with the same mentality as at the last meetings: fight for the win in the maximum number of races possible. The Repsol rider is the only rival in a position to challenge Jorge Lorenzo for the Championship title and, even though he has a 56 point disadvantage, while there are 125 still to be won, he will not throw in the towel on his endeavour to continue along the lines of the last few meetings, at which he passed the chequered flag in first or second. In addition to this, Pedrosa turns 25 today and wants to celebrate with a win on Sunday.
His team-mate, Andrea Dovizioso, lands in Japan with the objective of turning over a new page following the Aragón race, in which a fall on the last lap gave him his second zero of the season. The Repsol rider is in the midst of an intense battle for third place in the Championships. He began the season with great consistency allowing him to clock up 4 podiums in 5 races but, his good pace at the controls of his Honda RC212V has not been able to bring him positive results in the past few meetings.
In the 125ccs, Marc Márquez is again the focus of attention in the intense battle going on for the Championship title with Nico Terol and Pol Espargaró. Again, the Repsol rider was tormented by bad luck in the last race, in which he was hit by a rival at the first turn. However, having exhibited an excellent pace each time he took to the track, Márquez is positioned to be one of the contenders for the win this weekend, during which he will try to regain the lead of the category.
Dani Pedrosa
“We start the most intense period of the season this weekend, with five races in six weeks, and my goal is to make the best possible finish to the championship. I think we’re very strong at the moment and we must take full advantage of it. This final stage begins in Japan – the most important race for Honda because it’s their home Grand Prix – and I’m looking forward to getting to the circuit and starting the preparations for this special race. I would love to win at Motegi because I’ve never won here in MotoGP and I’ve been on the podium for the last two seasons. I always feel very motivated in Japan. I love the circuit and the atmosphere you feel there. The fans are very enthusiastic but also educated, and I feel a lot of support. We couldn’t race in Motegi at the beginning of the season due to the problems with the volcanic ash clouds, so I think the fans will be even more excited to welcome us. It will be very important to start this tour of Asia in the best way. As I’ve said before, I will approach this final section of the season simply thinking race by race. We’re doing a good job in the team, the RC212V is working well – we know it better and better – and so this a good chance for us to try to win more races and to finish the year in the best possible way”.
Andrea Dovizioso
“We have another chance to get a strong result this weekend and I’m very motivated going into this race. It is Honda’s home GP and it’s really important to do well here for Honda as well as for the team and myself. Last year, qualifying was cancelled because of rain and we didn’t have a lot of set-up time, but still I had a good race and my pace was strong, so I’m confident we can fight at the front again. Plus I always look forward to racing in Japan because the atmosphere is so different and special here. The layout of the Twin Ring Motegi, with its many areas of hard acceleration from low speed, is good for us and should allow us to use all the power and strong points of the RC212V. We are determined to get a good result here because we’ve been close for several races now without coming through on our potential. Our target remains third position i n the championship, so a podium finish in Motegi is really important for me. It’s what we’re aiming for and I’m looking forward to the challenge at Honda’s home GP”.
Marc Márquez
“This weekend, we will start the Asiatic leg and I’m really looking forward to some good races. Let’s see if we have luck on our side and we can turn over a new page after the Aragón meeting. We have to be aware of the weather because it’s very changeable there and it’s likely it will rain. I’m confident in the wet, but it always increases the risk. The Motegi circuit was quite good for me on the KTM, although the race was special as we started with the track wet and it dried as we went on. It’s one of the tracks they call “stop and go”, meaning there’s a lot of braking and accelerating as it has many corners where you must brake well and then straights where you accelerate to the maximum. We have to work hard on the set-up and hope to be able to fight for the win”.
