DANI HUNTS FOR A WIN TO SNATCH SECOND OVERALL Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) will be going all out to steal a second win of the season at Honda’s ‘home’ track to edge closer to second place overall in the World Champion ship points table. The 21-year-old Spanish master has been Honda’s main threat to series leader Casey Stoner (Ducati) this season and here is where he aims to score again. Motegi is where Dani first rode the RC212V last year and Dani believes Motegi’s 4.801km circuit should suit his 800cc machine especially after advances in set-up at Estoril last weekend enabled Pedrosa to fight for a race win after weeks of frustration and hard work. With four rounds left to race and with 188 points to second-placed Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi’s 211 and Stoner’s 287, Dani has everything still to ride for and still a mathematical chance of the title. Now he believes the RC212V is in shape to maintain performance throughout the 24-lap race on Sunday and at the racetrack home of the mighty Honda establishment Dani, Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) and all the Honda riders will be aiming to pull out something extra special to salvage strong results from what has proved to be a difficult season. Hayden, the defending World Champion has had a torrid time this year, but the American ace has never let his head drop and after notching up three podium finishes in the second half of this season, the genial Kentucky Kid would really like to get back to winning ways with a victory here where he scored his first ever podium way back in 2003. Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) has recorded two podium finishes so far in 2007 and the Italian speedster would like nothing more than to show his race winning capability here at Motegi before the end of what has been a difficult season for this tough campaigner. Injury has compromised 2007 for Marco and now he is nearing full fitness a win would be a welcome tonic. His team-mate Toni Elias (Gresini Honda RC212V) has had a similarly injury-ravaged season with a broken leg at Assen wrecking the second half of the Spanish man’s season. But even struggling for full fitness, Toni has never given less than his all and a strong result here at Motegi would be nothing less than he deserves. The ‘Twin Ring’ Motegi track, built in 1998, lies 150km north of Tokyo. It is owned by Honda and features an outer ‘Indy” style oval with a regular track in the infield. Its 4.801km feature a relatively short 762m main straight, eight right turns, six lefts, with a grippy, smooth and predictable surface. The largely constant-radius, second and third gear turns are linked by medium-length straights. Set-up requires a bike that’s stable both under fierce acceleration and equally severe braking. Front/rear balance and suspension settings are key, and the 800cc machines will require perfect engine management to maximise acceleration out of the turns. The track also features gradient and a spectacular tunnel, although nothing in the way of camber. The back straight is downhill into a tight right-hand bend. And although the main straight is only 0.762km long, the tunnel between turn five and the 130R turn more than makes up for a long main chute in terms of spectacle and rarity value. No other MotoGP track boasts subway sections. Dani said: “For sure the race in Portugal has given us a boost and so I’m really looking forward to going straight to Motegi and hopefully picking up where we left off at Estoril. We made some small changes to the machine during the weekend in Portugal and they helped us improve the speed in the race, so we’ll continue with those in Japan. I like this track and it seems to have suited me in previous years so I hope that’s going to be the same with the 800s. I rode this bike for the first time after last year’s race here so it shouldn’t feel totally unfamiliar. Also the weather can be quite unpredictable at Motegi but let’s hope for another fine weekend.” Nicky said: “This track has been a bit up and down for me in the past. I’ve had a few good rides here and also a few that weren’t so good. This time it’s a short turn around coming straight from Europe into Japan and we had a decent weekend in Portugal so I’m looking forward to the next one. Japan is always an exciting GP because it’s in the home country of most of the manufacturers, including Honda, which definitely adds a bit of an edge to it. Plus the Japanese fans are pretty cool and they’re always really good to me. The track has a lot of straights and our bike has been running better lately, especially in cooler conditions so hopefully the weather will be kind to us and give us cooler temperatures.” Melandri said: “The feeling with the bike has improved and the Bridgestone tyres should work very well. Bridgestone tyres dominated here in the last 3 years, so I’m confident. We’ll work hard to get the best out of the bike and to use all its potential. In Portugal I was still suffering a bit from the consequences of the crash at Misano, so in Japan I should be 100% fit. I’ve started to train again and I have to confess it wasn’t easy after more than 2 months of enforced rest.” Elias said: “I like Motegi and I’ve had two wins in the 250cc class here. I hope we can finally get some good results and turn this season around. The team is doing a great job and my feeling with the bike is improving. At Motegi it’s very important to find a good set-up because of the hard braking, and it’s important to have good balance too. The real secret is to find compromise between braking and acceleration.” Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) said: “Some of our early season races were difficult but we’re not giving up as the LCR team showed at Estoril and Misano. Motegi is a complicated track, it can be difficult trying to balance the heavy braking for the hairpins with the need for hard acceleration for the straights it’s basically a stop-go track. But we’ve found some good compromises with Honda and Michelin recently. And the team is very positive after the Portugal race and looking forward to Japan.” Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V) said: “As you can imagine I’m very much looking forward to my home race in front of both the fans, the Honda factory and my sponsors. Being a Honda track it’s very important to do well here. I like Motegi very much, but it’s a stop-and-go circuit with some hard braking and accelerating areas. The overall grip on the circuit isn’t too bad, although in the past I’ve found the circuit pretty tough on tyres, so we’ll see what happens with my 2007 package of the Honda RC212V and Michelin tyres. With the steady improvements we’ve made over the last few races, I think we’ll have a pretty good package here.” Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V) had clutch trouble at Estoril and will be hoping for a glitch-free run here after a toirrid season. He said: “We’re expecting a bit of extra help from Honda here and we sure appreciate what the factory’s been doing for us all season. Hopefully we can repay that with a decent result after a long season.” In the 250cc class Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) has given everything in his bid to chase down series leader Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) and now he faces a threat from Alex de Angelis (Aprilia) who is closing on Dovi for second place in the World Championship points table. It looks as if Lorenzo, who has 257 points to Dovi’s 206 will take the title, but it’s not over yet and as long as Dovi has a mathematical chance of taking the prize he will give nothing less than his all for the remaining four races of the season. Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) and Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) will be aiming for something big here at Motegi too. The Repsol pair have never properly threatened the leaderboard yet this season and this represents a big chance for them to do just that. Simon said: “The Japanese GP is full of good memories for me since last year I finished third there. I am dying to repeat the same result and have a good race. It’s a pity that I started the year so well and then dropped back, so I will try to be up with the leaders any way I can. I’ll have to work hard, because things are going well again, and I hope the bike works well.” Aoyama said: “In the race in Portugal I had good sensations, so I hope that in the next race I can carry on along the right path. Bit by bit, in the last few races I have been getting better so I hope I can manage to finish one place higher and get a very good result. Moreover, this race is at home for me, and I would be delighted to finish on the podium in front of my own fans.” In the 125cc category Bradley Smith (Repsol Honda RS125R) and Esteve Rabat (Repsol Honda RS125R) have been flying the Honda flag with dogged determination. They have regularly been the top Honda finishers in the class and here they’ll be looking to equal or better their best results so far, which have been a third-placed podium each. Smith said: “I got my best result of the 2006 season at Motegi, so it’s not really a track I like but the fact I got a good result there motivates me. I think in the last race we took an important step forward, going back to the normal settings turned out to be quite a lot better, so I’m confident the bike will work well at Motegi and I’ll be able to get a good result.” Rabat said: “Motegi has a lot of places where you have to brake and some quite fast curves. It’s a very technical track and I raced there last year, but it didn’t go too well. But this year, with all I’ve learnt, I hope to have a better weekend as it has nothing to do with last season. This is Honda’s home circuit and our bikes normally go well here.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Media Service: JAPAN, THE PERFECT SETTING FOR THE REPSOL HONDA TEAM RIDERS TO BATTLE FOR THE VICTORY After Dani Pedrosa`s second position in Portugal and Nicky Hayden`s fourth place, the two Repsol riders will fight to be on the top of the podium at Motegi, Honda`s home ground. With no time to rest, and after the exciting race just a few days ago at the track in Estoril, the World Championship starts its Asian tour with a quick visit to Japan; to the Circuit of Motegi which is owned by Honda. After this race there will be a two week rest for all those in the paddock before the next dates on the trot in Australia and Malaysia. After Dani Pedrosa`s and Nicky Hayden`s great race in Portugal last week the two Repsol Honda Team riders go to Honda`s home ground especially motivated and optimistic. The Honda and the Michelin tyres were competitive once again in Portugal, and Dani Pedrosa was very, but very, close to winning after Hayden got the pole position the day before, his first of the season. Motegi is a special circuit for both the Repsol Honda Team riders. Dani Pedrosa won at the track in Japan in 125cc in 2002 and in 250cc in 2004. Nicky Hayden has never won there, but in his first year in the category 2003 – he got his first ever podium finish. In 250cc, Shuhei Aoyama returns to his country to race in front of his own fans. Aoyama, who got better as the race went on last weekend in Portugal until a mechanical problem forced him to retire, hopes to get a good result at a circuit that he knows perfectly. For his teammate Julián Simón, as well as for the young Repsol riders in 125cc, Bradley Smith and Esteve Rabat, this is another chance to get the result that has been out of their reach so far this season. There are only four dates left until the 2007 season finishes. Quotes MotoGP Nicky Hayden “This track has been a bit up and down for me in the past. I’ve had a few good rides here and also a few that weren’t so good. This time it’s a short turn-around coming straight from Europe into Japan and we had a decent weekend in Portugal so I’m looking forward to the next one. Japan is always an exciting GP because it’s in the home country of most of the manufacturers, including Honda, which definitely adds a bit of an edge to it. Plus the fans are pretty cool here and they’re always really good to me. The track has a lot of straights and our bike has been running better lately, especially in cooler conditions so hopefully the weather will be kind to us and give us cooler temperatures. It’s really important to have a bike that’s stable on the brakes and lately that’s been one of the strong points of the RC212V. The team’s been doing some good work with the machine so we’ll get out there on Friday and see what sort of package we’ve got. Hopefully we can try to keep the little bit of momentum rolling from the last race.” Dani Pedrosa “For sure the race in Portugal has given us a boost and so I’m really looking forward to going straight to Motegi to hopefully picking up where we left off at Estoril. We made some small changes to the machine during the weekend in Portugal and they helped us improve the speed in the race, so we’ll continue with those in Japan . What was encouraging was that the performance of our package didn’t fall away during the race which has happened sometimes this year, so if this situation continues we’ll be aiming to challenge for the win again. Of course tyres are going to be critical to this and Motegi is a circuit where our tyre rivals have gone well in the past. But we’ll certainly give it everything. I like this track and it seems to have suited me in previous years so I hope that’s going to be the same with the 800s. I rode this bike for the first time after last year’s race here so it shouldn’t feel totally unfamiliar. Also the weather can be quite unpredictable at Motegi but let’s hope for another fine weekend.” 250cc Julián Simón “The Japanese GP is full of good memories for me since last year I finished third there. I am dying to repeat the same result and have a good race. It is a pity that I started the year so well and then dropped back, so I will try to to be up with the leaders anyway I can. I will have to work hard, because things are going well again, and I hope that the bike works well.” Shuhei Aoyama “In the race in Portugal I had good sensations, so I hope that in the next race I can carry on along the right path. Bit by bit, in the last few races I have been getting better so I hope that I can manage to finish one place higher and get a very good result. Moreover, this race is at home for me, and I would be delighted to finish on the podium in front of my own fans.” 125cc Bradley Smith “I got my best result of the 2006 season at Motegi, so it is not really a track that I like but the fact that I got a good result there motivates me more. I think that in the last race we took an important step forward, going back to the normal settings that turned out to be quite a lot better, so I am confident that the bike will work well at Motegi and so be able to get a good result.” Esteve Rabat “The circuit of Motegi has a lot of places where you have to brake and quite fast curves. It is a very technical track and I raced there last year, but it did not go too well. But this year, with all I have learnt, I hope to have a better weekend as it has nothing to do with last season. This is Honda`s home circuit and there our bikes normally go well, and me myself I am dying to race there and more than ready to carry on learning.”