DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM BEGIN TRIPLE HEADER IN JAPAN This weekend’s Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi is the first of three consecutive races in three weekends for the MotoGP World Championship, which also takes in races in Malaysia and Australia before returning to Europe for the final two rounds of the 2010 season. The schedule for the next three rounds will see a return to this season’s original format of three sessions of an hour in length although Portugal and Valencia will both feature four sessions of 45 minutes, as was successfully trialled in Aragon. Following their double podium in the Spanish round both Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden are eager to get back on track and confirm their recent progress, hopeful that the characteristics of the Japanese circuit, where the Ducati Marlboro Team have celebrated three victories and a podium in the past, can be suited to the modified set-ups of their GP10 machines. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team “Motegi is a circuit with a lot of stop and go sections, not much of it flows together and it’s not one of my favourite layouts. On the positive side the surface is smooth, with not too many bumps, which have really made us suffer at a lot of tracks this year. You need a bike that is stable under braking and efficient under acceleration so I am hopeful that the setting we found at Aragon can be useful here again. In Spain we finally managed to improve the stability and found a bit more grip and if we can do that again this weekend we will have the chance to fight for a good result again.” NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team “As always this Grand Prix has a little extra flavour because it’s the home round for the big Japanese factories. I actually scored my first ever MotoGP podium at Motegi but I’ve not had much out of it since then other than a couple of front row starts and a few results I’d rather not remember. It is the first of three races in a row in three different countries with very different climates. It is not an easy grind but I always enjoy it. We have to try and build on the good form we showed at Aragon and stay at the same level if we can. It won’t be easy but that has to be our objective.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “We are coming on the back of a good result at Aragon, where both Casey and Nicky were fast all weekend and their bikes worked well. Obviously it would be nice to us to get to Japan and find that the latest modifications are taking us in the right direction, especially because Motegi is a very different kind of circuit to Aragon. Our riders are in good form and the team is ready to tackle the triple-header that starts this Sunday and so all the ingredients are there for us to try and repeat that result. But it’s never easy and we know that our job is to stay focused and give maximum effort as always.” THE TRACK The Twin Ring Motegi is a typical ‘stop and go’ circuit with very few fast corners. Instead it features a series of slow corners linked by medium to long straights that make the bike’s performance under braking and acceleration crucial. The track surface is one of the best on the calendar, with very few bumps and good grip levels. Motegi hosted the Grand Prix of Japan for the first time in 1999. From 2000 to 2003 it was known as the Pacific Grand Prix, before regaining its status as the home of MotoGP in Japan after Suzuka was adjudged to be too dangerous. Known as the “Twin Ring” because it incorporates an Indy-style oval as well as a MotoGP track, the circuit lies in hilly countryside to the north of Tokyo, between the cities of Mito and Utsonomiya, and features an ultra-modern and geometric design. MOTEGI FACTS Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1’47.091, 161.391 Km/h Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2008), 1’45.543, 163.758 Km/h Circuit Length: 4.801km MotoGP Race 2010: 24 laps (115.224 km) MotoGP Schedule 2010: 15:00 Local Time (08:00 CET) DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM’S BEST RESULTS AT MOTEGI 2009: 4th (Stoner) 2008: 2nd (Stoner) 2007: 1st (Capirossi) 2006: 1st (Capirossi) 2005: 1st (Capirossi) 2004: DNF 2003: 8th (Capirossi) PODIUM 2009: 1st Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd Valentino Rossi, 3rd Dani Pedrosa POLE 2009: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha 2009), 1’48.545 -159.229 km/h DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER INFO CASEY STONER Age: 24 (born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia ) Residency: Switzerland Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP10 Number: 27 GP Appearances: 139 (78xMotoGP, 31×250, 30×125) GP victories: 28 (21xMotoGP, 5×250, 2×125) First GP win: Valencia, 2003 (125) GP debut: Great Britain, 2001 (125) Pole positions: 23 (19xMotoGP, 2×250, 2×125) First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125) World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007) MotoGP track record at Motegi: 2009: Qualified: 2nd: Race: 4th 2008: Qualified: 2nd; Race: 2nd 2007: Qualified: 9th; Race: 6th 2006: Qualified: 11th; Race NC NICKY HAYDEN Age: 29 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA) Residency: Owensboro, USA Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP10 Number: 69 GP Appearances: 129 (129xMotoGP) First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP wins: 3 (3xMotoGP) First GP win: USA, 2005 (MotoGP) Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP) First pole: USA, 2005 (MotoGP) World titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006) MotoGP track record at Motegi: 2009: Qualified 12th: Race DNF 2008 Qualified: 3rd; Race: 5th 2007: Qualified: 3rd; Race: 9th 2006: Qualified: 7th; Race: 5th 2005: Qualified: 6th; Race: 7th 2004: Qualified: 9th; Race: NC More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: YAMAHA HEAD TO JAPANESE HOMELAND FOR FIRST OF FLYAWAY TREBLE The Fiat Yamaha Team heads to Yamaha’s homeland of Japan this week for the first in a punishing triple-header of ‘flyaway’ races in Japan, Malaysia and Australia. There are just five more races still left to go and championship-leader Jorge Lorenzo and his team-mate Valentino Rossi are determined to record a few more top results before the curtain comes down on the year in early November. Lorenzo took a superb win at Motegi last season, passing his team-mate to take a memorable victory. The 23-year-old loves the track and is looking forward to getting back on the podium this time out, having missed out for the first time this season at the last race in Aragon. The Spaniard leads the championship from 56 points from Dani Pedrosa but, despite the points gap, he knows that he can not afford any mistakes if he is to realise his dream of clinching a first pr emier class world title. Nine-time champion Rossi also has happy memories of the Japanese circuit, having won there in 2001 and then again with Yamaha in 2008, when he sewed up his eighth world title. He arrives in less than perfect shape this time however after an injury-hit season, with his damaged shoulder still limiting his power and capacity to ride. He knows that the right-handed Motegi track will be extra hard on his body this weekend but is looking forward to Sepang and Phillip Island, which he hopes will be a little easier, as he looks to finish his difficult season on a high. Motegi has been a victim of the weather over the last couple of years, with qualifying cancelled in 2009 due to torrential rain and then the ash cloud earlier this year meaning the entire race had to be postponed, hence its delayed appearance in the calendar now. Designed in 1997 as a test venue, Motegi features a somewhat geometric track layout. The surface offers good levels of g rip without being overly abrasive but the proliferation of second gear turns, linked for the most part by mini-drag strips, means braking and acceleration are the main prerequisite to a fast lap time. Jorge Lorenzo “GET BACK ON THE PODIUM” “Motegi is Yamaha’s home and I always feel proud to ride there. Last Year I got my first victory at this track in MotoGP and it was one of the best moments of the season. I like Motegi and I think it can be great for us also this season. The main goal is to get back on the podium and continue getting as many points as possible. We will try to be fast from Friday and start this run of three races as well as we can. Valentino Rossi “WE WILL DO OUR BEST” “Aragon was a hard weekend, both because we couldn’t find the right setting for our M1 and because I had a lot of trouble with my shoulder. The leg is now almost back to normal again – I have even started running – but the shoulder is a problem and we know now that this is not going to change until we have time to treat it properly. I have some great memories from Motegi, especially winning the championship in 2008, but I am expecting this weekend to be quite difficult on my body. We have a hard three weeks ahead but after this race two of my best tracks are coming up, and I am hoping for some good results. We will do our best and see what happens!” Wilco Zeelenberg “WE CAN’T RELAX TOO MUCH!” “After missing out on the podium for the first time this season we know that we have some work to do, because our rivals have taken a step forward. Jorge has a strong lead still but we can’t afford to relax too much because anything can happen. He likes Motegi a lot and we hope that we will be quickly able to find a good setting for our M1. As always our target will be the podium and as many points as we can take without risking too much.” Davide Brivio “A TOUGH RUN OF RACES” “Valentino is understandably disappointed that he isn’t in as good physical shape as he had hoped, and this is a pity for him because the leg is really quite good now! Aragon was hard on him but generally our bike goes well at Motegi so we hope it will be better, even if the nature of the track will still be hard on him. This run of races is tough on everyone but we will be working as hard as ever and hoping for some good results as we head towards the final races. Unfortunately I had to miss the last round because of a problem with my back; I still have some pain but I have managed to fly to Japan and I am really looking forward to getting back to work.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA TEAM ARRIVES IN JAPAN WITH HIGH HOPES FOR HOME RACE Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will enjoy plenty of support this weekend as the Twin Ring Motegi hosts the long-awaited 2010 Grand Prix of Japan. With the factory Honda squad arriving in Japan in very competitive form after a series of strong performances, hopes are high that a Honda RC212V will be challenging for victory once again this weekend. This is the event that was postponed from its original date in April this year due to the widespread travel disruption caused by the erupting Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Dani Pedrosa comes to Japan full of confidence having establishing himself as the rider to beat in the second half of the MotoGP season. Since the championship resumed at Brno in August after the short summer break, Pedrosa has substantially outscored his all MotoGP rivals and has steadily chipped away at the early season championship lead built up by Jorge Lorenzo, reducing the gap by 16 points in four race s. Although the deficit of 56 points is still a large one with five races remaining, Pedrosa will be quietly confident that he can continue to apply pressure at a circuit he likes, and which should suit the performance characteristics of the Honda RC212V. Pedrosa turns 25 years old on Wednesday 29th September and the perfect birthday present would be to significantly outscore his Spanish title rival once again this weekend. In last year’s Grand Prix of Japan, which was the second race of the year, Pedrosa came from 11th on the grid to score a remarkable podium finish – made all the more impressive by the fact that he was still recovering from pre-season injuries. Dovizioso also had a strong ride from seventh to a fighting fifth place after he too was handicapped by the cancellation of Saturday qualifying due to heavy rain, an unusual event which meant that grid positions were decided by each rider’s fast time from the one dry practice session of the weekend. In recent races Dovizioso and his RC212V have continued to display the potential and speed that made him a regular podium visitor earlier in the season and, even though recent results haven’t gone the way of the Italian, the 24-year-old will be determined quickly to banish the memories of his last-lap fall at Aragon and establish himself as a front-runner once again this weekend. Lying in fifth place in the championship with Valentino Rossi just one point ahead and Casey Stoner a further fifteen points in front, Dovizioso’s goals are clear – to overtake those riders once more and re-take the third place in the championship he has held for large parts of the 2010 season. The impressive Motegi facility was opened in 1998 to celebrate the Honda Motor company’s 50th anniversary, and the venue played host to its first World Championship race the following year, when it hosted the Pacific GP. It has been home to the Japanese GP sin ce 2004. The MotoGP timetable returns to normal this weekend after Aragon’s adjusted practice sessions, with the track action beginning on Friday with an hour of free practice, followed on Saturday by a further practice session and then qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 24-lap Grand Prix of Japan starts at 15.00 local time (GMT + 9 hours). DANI PEDROSA World Championship Position: 2nd 228 points “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 World Championship Position: 5th 139 points “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.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP and Moto2 preview Japanese Grand Prix, Twin Ring Motegi October 1/2/3 2010 HONDA RIDERS HEAD FOR HOME GRAND PRIX The Japanese Grand Prix at Twin Ring Motegi, Honda’s home track, is always highly anticipated and never more so than this year. The race was originally the second on the calendar in late April, but was rescheduled when the Icelandic volcanic eruption disrupted air traffic in Europe. Now, five months on, the race will take on a completely different feel. Instead of providing a preview of what was to come, the race will confirm what’s happening now, the 14th of 18 rounds, while also paying tribute to a member of the Honda family who lost his life in a racing accident. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) is on a roll coming into the team’s home grand prix, having won two of the past three races, a string of excellence that has cut 27% out of title leader Jorge Lorenzo’s earlier points lead. Pedrosa is on the best form of his life, with a career high of four race wins. Much of the credit has to go to the engineers at the Honda Racing Corporation, who have developed the RC212V into a machine that can win in any condition, on any track. And that versatility will soon be put to the test. The season is entering its most intense stretch with five races in six weeks on three continents. It kicks off with the Motegi race, after which the traveling paddock will land in the tropical heat of Sepang, Malaysia, followed directly by the annual visit to the beautiful seaside Phillip Island circuit and its always unpredictable weather. The toll on riders and crews can be difficult, but the upside is that in the next three weeks there are 75 points to be had in three weeks, and for a title hunter like Pedrosa, who’s been on the podium here the past two years, this is an opportunity to make a serious thrust for the MotoGP crown which many had once believed out of reach. With nine podiums in the first 13 races, Pedrosa is looking good to eclipse his 2009 total of 11 podium finishes. As much as Pedrosa and the rest of the Honda family look forward to Motegi, the race will also be a time for reflection as the MotoGP paddock and Honda Motor Company pay homage to one of their own. Popular Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa, who began his full-time career lasts season riding a Honda RS250 for the Technomag-CIP team, lost his life in a racing accident at the recent San Marino Grand Prix. The young Japanese rising star, an infectiously effervescent 19-year-old from Chiba, had earlier won the first-ever Moto2 race at April’s Qatar GP. Tomizawa will be honoured in his home country by the racing community, as well as family and friends. Shoya’s family is to receive the Michel Metraux trophy from Metraux’s son, Olivier, at the Japanese race. The Michel Metraux trophy is given to the outstanding rider in the 125cc and Moto2 classes as voted by his peers. Pedrosa’s team-mate Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) started the season with four podiums in the first five races. But maintaining that impressive run of performances has proven difficult, though he’s been on podium pace in at least two other races. Coming off a difficult race weekend at the inaugural Aragon Grand Prix, the Italian is hoping to get back on the rostrum at a track where he won a 125 GP and finished second on a 250. Dovizioso also ran a strong pace at last year’s Motegi GP, where he finished fifth, less than ten seconds behind the winner. Despite recent travails, a strong finish to the end of the year could land him third place in the championship. Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) is looking forward to the final five races to get back to his early season form. The Frenchman didn’t finish worse than ninth in the first seven races before breaking his leg at the German GP in mid-July. Since his miraculous recovery he only missed one race, the U.S.GP de Puniet hasn’t been the same. But, like all the Honda riders, he’s looking forward to a return to Honda’s home track, a track where he earned his first ever MotoGP podium. San Carlo Honda Gresini team-mates Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli are tied on points with 74 each. Of the two, Simoncelli has the more recent success at Motegi. In 2008, the Italian won the 250cc race and was leading the last-ever 250cc race at the track last year when he was forced to retire. This will be his first visit on a MotoGP machine and he believes that mastering late race tyre management will help him improve his overall position. Melandri is less concerned with managing his tyres that improving stability under braking. The Twin Ring Motegi has a number of stop-and-go corners and Melandri has had difficulty with that aspect of machine set-up this year. Still, he’s been on the podium in Motegi a number of times, including aboard a Honda RC211V in 2006. Very few are looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix as much as Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V). The last ever 250cc champion is a popular rider at home, where he’ll be making his MotoGP debut in front of friends and family. Aoyama has scored points in every MotoGP race he’s finished, though he missed six races mid-season after breaking his back during the British Grand Prix. Since his return, he has continued to progress physically and, with a two week break since the Aragon GP, expects to be approaching peak physical condition. Moto2 World Championship leader Toni Elias (Gresini Racing, Moriwaki) recently surpassed his best season wins total with a sixth victory of the year in San Marino. Then came a fourth place at Aragon he missed out on the podium by less than a second from which he expects to bounce back. Elias is one of six Moto2 riders to campaign a Moriwaki chassis, mated to his control Honda CBR600RR engine, in the inaugural year of Moto2 racing. Winning the race in the chassis maker’s home country is one of the goals Elias has for the weekend, as he seeks to extend his championship lead. Elias arrives in Motegi with a 76 point advantage over Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter). He’s also the main reason that Moriwaki has 33 point lead over Suter in the Constructor’s championship. The Spaniard has two wins in the 250cc class at Motegi when the race was the Pacific Grand Prix, and he also a MotoGP podium at the track. Julian Simon (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter) is locked in a battle for second in the championship with Andrea Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up, Speed Up). They arrive in Japan separated by four points at a track where both have had success. Simon finished second in last year’s Motegi 125cc race, a race won by Iannone. The track plays to the strengths of the Suter chassis, which is the hard braking zones that Simon favours. Simon has finished second four times this season, including in the last three races, and is hopeful of getting his maiden Moto2 victory in Japan. Iannone has been the surprise of the initial Moto2 championship. The 21-year-old Italian is second to Elias in wins with three successes. Having won at Aragon, Iannone will be doing everything he can to follow up his 2009 Motegi 125 victory with another Moto2 win. Tom Lüthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 Team, Moriwaki) is fourth in the championship and well clear of fifth. The 24-year-old Swiss rider has come close to winning on two occasions this year, but has yet to break through. He enjoys the Motegi circuit and is looking forward to his return. Twin Ring Motegi was built by Honda in the town of Motegi in the eastern Tochigi prefecture to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary in 1998 and to help introduce open wheel Indy Car racing to Japan. The name comes from the marriage of two words, the English “twin” and the German “ring,” to denote two race tracks. The MotoGP race is run on the 4.8km road course, which hosts various events throughout the year. The other track is the 2.493k egg shaped-oval which last hosted Indy Cars in 2002. Motegi served as the site of the Pacific Grand Prix from 2000 to 2003 and since 2004 has been the venue for the Japanese GP. The road course is built around stop-start straightaways leading to low-gear hairpins that favour stability on the brakes and rapid acceleration, usually on the fat part of the tyre. More than half of the 13 corners are taken in first or second gear. The lone sixth gear stretch is on the back straight, where in 2009 the fastest top speed of 297.8kp/h was clocked by Pedrosa and his RC212V. Pedrosa also had the fastest trap speed of 292kp/h in 2008. Braking stability is paramount, as riders are asked to brake from sixth down to first gear for the 90 degree Turn 10 right-hander. From there the riders go briefly into the dark through the short tunnel under the oval straightaway. Out of the shadows they’re funneled into the final three-turn sequence that leads onto the 762m long front straight and the finish line. Motegi was to have run on the April 25th weekend until the volcano in Iceland disrupted travel. The teams were told the weekend prior to the race that the date had been moved to the fall to become the first of the final three flyaways. After Malaysia and Phillip Island, the series reaches its finale back in Europe, at Estoril and Valencia. HONDA MotoGP Rider Quotes Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “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.” Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says: “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 in 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.” LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says: “The last race in Aragon did not end as I expected. I had a good feeling on the bike on Friday and Saturday but I crashed with seven laps to go. I escaped unhurt from the accident but I was in a bad mood. I really hope to find my good pace again in the last part of the season starting from Japan. Motegi GP is very important for us as we race with Honda and the Japanese fans are very warm. I have good memories of this circuit because I obtained my first MotoGP podium there. I like the stop-and-go braking points and I always enjoy riding there!” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Melandri says: “Following our disappointment at Aragon we go into the next run of races looking to give our best, even though we know it will be tough. Motegi is the first of three races in a row outside of Europe and it is a place where the weather is always uncertain so we just hope we get chance to do a good job in practice and prepare as well as possible for the race. Unfortunately I’m not feeling too optimistic about the trip; I like the track despite the fact it is not very technical but for me it is going to be a tough race because you need a bike that is stable under braking and that is where we are having the most problems at the moment. We believe in miracles!” San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli says: “I was fairly happy after the race at Aragon although we needed to have a look at how and where I can improve my performance in the final stages of the race, when the tyres are worn. My rivals managed to keep up their pace in the same conditions but my speed dropped off noticeably and I couldn’t stay with them. We have to improve the set up but we can use the one we found at Aragon as a base. Now we go to Motegi, a circuit I always quite liked on the 250. I won in Japan in 2008 and I was forced to retire from the race when I was leading last year but it is a circuit where I have always been fast and I hope that proves to be the case again in MotoGP. I’m feeling positive so let’s see!” Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Hiroshi Aoyama says: “I am looking forward to my home Grand Prix in Motegi. My family and my friends will be there to support me and I want to give them a good show to watch. I also hope that my back will be fit again and that I can give 100% without any concerns. I want to try to give the team the best possible result in Motegi and I hope it will be my best result this season so far. I expect a lot of this race and hope I can meet my target.” Moto2 RIDER Quotes Gresini Racing Moto2 rider Toni Elias says: “I would have liked to win at Aragon but we ran into a few difficulties after the crash in practice. I made a bad start in the race and after finishing the first lap back in sixteenth I managed to finish the race in fourth place, which is a positive result I couldn’t have asked for more. We took home some important championship points and overall it was a good weekend because we could have easily come away with nothing. I am the only rider to have scored points in every round this season and I think we are getting our reward for that consistency. Now we go to a circuit I love and I would be delighted to win the race for Moriwaki at their home Grand Prix. We know it won’t be easy because Moto2 is a very unpredictable class and we have to hope that we get the luck where we need it to be amongst the frontrunners again.” Mapfre Aspar Team Suter rider Julian Simon says: “It is very positive that we are going into the flyaway races lying second in the championship. Little by little we are picking up experience and getting a better feel for the bike. I have been on the podium a couple of times at Motegi, I finished second last year and I love the track. I also think the Suter chassis will adapt well to it, especially the hard braking zones, which I love. I just want to keep working as we have done up to now and extend this run of podiums although my objective is to go for the win, which would be good for me and the team. Physically I feel in good shape, I haven’t had a problem all season and I think that if we steer clear of incident we can keep this going to the end of the year.” Fimmco Speed Up rider Andrea Iannone says: “The three races we are going to face in the next three weekends are very important for us. We are going to do our best to get closer to Toni Elias in the Championship Classification: we need to get as many points as possible. I hope we’ll be fast from the beginning of the weekend, without having much trouble in setting up the bike. It would be great to repeat the result I scored last year, when I won the race on a 125cc bike. Let’s see what kind of weather we will find once we get up there in Motegi.” Interwetten Moriwaki Moto2 Team rider Thomas Luthi says: “I am looking forward to go to Motegi. I think the racetrack there is not bad. The layout needs a lot of strong braking and that is quite good in my opinion. I know that the three races that are coming now will be very exhausting, as the races are back to back, but I still look forward to the big travel overseas and am excited to see what we can do on this three tracks. I will try to get closer to the top group again as that was not really possible in Aragón.” HONDA 125 RIDER QUOTES Interwetten Honda 125 Team rider Marcel Schrotter says: “I am really looking forward to this Grand Prix and I am curious about the country, the people there and the culture as I heard already so much about it. I hope we will have a good time there. I also heard that the circuit is a lot about braking and I am not bad at braking, so I hope we can get a good result. Of course I hope I will earn some more points at this circuit.”