After winning his eighth race of the year during the last Grand Prix contested on the MotorLand circuit of Aragon, Morbidelli will try to take advantage of the four events remaining on this year's calendar to try to beat the record established by Marc Score with nine victories in 2012, the year he was crowned Moto2 World Champion.
Franco completely dominated the season, taking the lead in the Championship by winning the first Grand Prix held in Qatar, then the second in Argentina, followed by the third in Austin. He therefore took the lead in the race, but two retirements, at Jerez and Misano, cost him dearly in terms of points. His only rival Tom Luthi has only one retirement to his credit (in Germany) and the Swiss is currently 4 races from the end, 21 points behind the Italian.
Is the Motegi circuit favorable to Morbidelli? It's difficult to get a clear idea because he's only raced there three times. Eighteenth for his discovery in Moto2 in 2013, he progressed to seventh place in 2014. Unfortunately he was withdrawn in 2015, missing Silverstone, Misano, Aragon and Motegi due to a broken tibia and fibula in motocross. Last year, he finished on the podium in third position.
According to Franco Morbidelli, who are " We are going to attack a key moment of the season. With three races in three weeks, anything can happen. Our priority is obviously the championship, but we must also continue in the way that has succeeded us since the start of the season. »
“I could approach the last races with the objective of being careful and not taking any risks, but that is not my method and does not suit my qualities. This season we have been good every time we have been able to fight at the front, and if I can win in Japan I will give my best to achieve it. »
“If that is not the case, we will then consider another scenario to try to take as many points as possible. We won't be there until Sunday and the start of the race. »
For his teammate Alex Marquez, who are " I had more problems than I expected in Aragon because of my injury. The inflammation and pressure on my sciatic nerve forced me to stop sooner than expected. My recovery was slower than expected but with three more weeks I still feel better. »
“My physical condition is better than it was in Aragon even if I'm not yet one hundred percent. I'll know more when I get back on my motorbike in Motegi. We will then see what it is possible to envisage in terms of results. Anyway, I'm going to Japan with great motivation and determined to regain third place in the ranking if my condition allows me to do so. »
Photos © Marc VDS Racing
