Takaaki Nakagami picked up points in a French Grand Prix that delivered a Honda group shot in the standings as three RC213Vs are spread between sixth and eighth position. The Japanese is in the middle, which, given the circumstances and the level of his bike in such conditions, is not so bad. He thus recounts his epic 27 laps on the Bugatti played with elements on a Sunday afternoon...
Takaaki Nakagami saw the podium up close at the last meeting in Jerez and he hoped to get there at Le Mans, but he had to settle for 7th place. The LCR driver was counting on a dry race, a prospect that lasted two laps… What’s next? He tells it: “ after changing bikes, I struggled to find rhythm with the wet tires. All Hondas have struggled with this problem ", has explained Nakagami. " During the warm up on Sunday morning we defined a few elements for a possible race in the rain, but in the end I felt no difference in the wet. I just tried to stay on the bike, with zero grip on the rear tire and the feeling of riding on ice ».
A criticism often heard in MotoGP in this Sunday meeting in Sarthe. The LCR Honda rider had chosen the soft rear tire in the rain, as he had no experience with the medium tire in the wet. “ We rode here with the soft rear tire all weekend and last year too. Therefore, we did not have comparable data with the medium rear tire. It would have been a gamble. Even though the rear tire was moving a lot at the end and was difficult to keep under control, I think it was the right choice ».
Nakagami: “I didn’t make a mistake and I didn’t fall, that speaks for me”
In the second half of the 27-lap race, the track dried up again, but the Japanese could not hold on zarco and the group in front of him. “ I had more problems than the others and couldn't find the rhythm in the wet ", did he declare. " A lot happened and it was my first flag to flag race. I really did my best ».
Despite all the difficulties, Nakagami sees something good in this Grand Prix of France : " I didn't make a mistake and I didn't fall, that speaks for me. Now I have to find out with the team what happened in the wet and find a solution. But the race was definitely a good experience for the future. I'm looking forward to Mugello ».
MotoGP France Le Mans J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
