Let’s Talk MotoGP: A Well-Deserved Retirement!

In Barcelona, ​​Aleix Espargaro and Stefan Bradl were not the only MotoGP riders to retire: Takaaki Nakagami also leaves the world, and with him, a difficult period for the Japanese in MotoGP. A look back at the career of a forgotten man, who, unfortunately, did not succeed in the challenge that destiny imposed on him.

 

For Japan

 

I have always really liked Japanese pilots.. In them, we feel a lot of respect, commitment, passion, for their country but also for the sport. They have also marked the history of the discipline and continue to do so, as proven, finally, by this Moto2 title of Ai Ogura that no one expected at this level. Takaaki Nakagami is from the cursed generation, that of the hollow; He embodied Japan's decline in the world championship, both in terms of drivers and constructors..

Having arrived full-time at the dawn of the 2008 season, Taka' struggled to make his place. He left the 125cc to return to the archipelago in 2010 and 2011, before returning to Moto2, a class above. We are in a difficult era for natives of his country. After Hiroshi Aoyama (champion in 250cc but discreet in MotoGP), few stand out. Nakagami is one of them, and it is in this context that he revealed himself in 2013, in a category that still mourns Shoya Tomizawa.

 

 

By the way, I have to come back to the 2013 San Marino Grand Prix. Nakagami was pretty hot, even without a win. He didn't go to Misano as a favorite but still finished second, not without having fought against the merciless Pol Espargaro. In the deceleration lap, he will prostrate himself at the place where the late Tomizawa had perished three years earlier.This tribute, although anecdotal – after all, he had not won – remains one of the images that has most marked me since I have been following this sport, and certainly the most grandiose fact of Takaaki's career.

In 2014, Nakagami was supported by Idemitsu, still in Moto2, in a structure specially chartered by Honda to promote Asian talents. He had two years of difficult adaptation, but won twice in two years during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, just before moving to MotoGP, again thanks to Idemitsu. To do this, Honda gave a second bike to its satellite team LCR, just to have a Japanese representative at the highest level. Nakagami, seen at the time as an eternal Moto2 rider, left the intermediate class with two victories, twelve other podiums and five poles. Not bad, but from there to justifying a move to MotoGP, there is a world of difference.

 

Stagnation

 

At first, we believed in it. We imagined a consistent driver, solid in all circumstances, capable of well-felt exploits. A Japanese, in other words. But race after race, the sauce does not take. His best year remains this 2020 season, where he was, it is true, an outsider who should not be overlooked.. Moreover, he scored his only pole position at the highest level in Aragon that year, but was unable to convert it into a podium.

 

 

At the same time, Honda was embarking on an unprecedented descent into hell – which is still not over, by the way. Nakagami, who, like everyone else, was given the task of developer, was both an actor and spectator of this national decline. From 2021 to 2024, Takaaki existed, nothing more.. Only kept here by his sponsor, Nakagami failed to live up to Honda's history., because, like all the others, he could not prevent this fall. His successive rankings speak for him: 15th in 2021, then 18th in 2022 and 2023, and 19th in 2024, with an increasingly low total of points.

A bit like Bradl, it would be unfair to attribute to him the full responsibility for what happened and is still happening at Honda, but what is certain is that neither he nor the German have thwarted this dark dynamic. It is certainly not his fault, but that of the winged firm, which should never have entrusted such a mission to two riders of this caliber.

Nakagami has always been honest and discreet. He is offered the opportunity to stay in MotoGP, he is not going to deprive himself of it. And in his defense, I have to admit he surprised me in 2024. Quite consistent in performance, he held his own against Johann Zarco for a long time, in addition to dominating the two Honda Repsol riders, Joan Mir and Luca Marini, quite largely. I will have the opportunity to talk about it again later.

 

The future

 

Nakagami, who also won the 8 Suzuka 2010 Hours, will stay with Honda but in Japan. From what he has suggested, it is unlikely that he will do odd jobs here and there, but let's not underestimate the passion of a driver who dedicated his life to racing. The desire can quickly return…

In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this article and Takaaki Nakagami's career in general!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport