Takaaki Nakagami, the Japanese rider of the LCR Honda team, was forced to retire early from the Malaysian Grand Prix due to excessive vibrations on his bike. The unexpected withdrawal highlights Honda's continuing difficulties in resolving the problems of its RC213V, which will soon be discovered by its replacement Somkiat Chantra, a Thai rookie for whom the Japanese veteran is already worried...
Le Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit was a difficult moment for Takaaki Nakagami. The pilot of Honda LCR, faced with alarming vibrations on his RC213V, made the difficult decision to abandon the race after only 19 laps. Starting from 18th position, Nakagami had managed to move up the rankings and reach the points, but he quickly found that the vibrations had become too intense to continue safely.
« I had vibrations at the rear of the motorcycle which were becoming stronger and stronger “, explained the Japanese. “ Before the Sprint race, the vibrations were acceptable, noticeable in some corners, but not crazy. But in the Sprint, then in the warm-up and finally in the main race, the clicking noises became more and more violent. I said to myself: I am more and more afraid of staying on the bike. That's why I decided to stop.r. »
This decision was not taken lightly, and Nakagami expressed his disappointment. However, he is looking to the future, with the next Grand Prix at Montmelò, a circuit where he feels comfortable despite the challenges that the Honda could meet. We will try to improve the balance of the bike and reduce those crazy vibrations. In Barcelona I will also receive the new chassis that others already use. These will be the last three days for me as a full-time MotoGP rider.. I will do my best and I really hope to enjoy driving there. »
Takaaki Nakagami: “ Somkiat Chantra will soon discover that the differences between Moto2 and MotoGP are enormous. »
Nakagami also highlighted that the vibration problem is not isolated to his experience. All Honda Drivers, including those equipped with the new chassis, complained of vibrations at Sepang. Only with Johann Zarco were they half acceptable. »
The specificities of the Montmelò circuit, with its different weather conditions and tyre distribution, could offer a new start. Nakagami hopes that the engineers of Honda will learn from Sepang's performance to make significant improvements.
With the season finale in sight, Takaaki Nakagami is set to say goodbye to his role as a regular rider, but he won't disappear from the MotoGP scene altogether. He has been tasked with assisting his Thai successor, Somkiat Chantra, in his rise to the MotoGP class. HRC asked me to give him some help ", he said. "When you ride a MotoGP for the first time, there are a lot of things to process. Somkiat did a great job in Moto2, but he will quickly discover that the differences between Moto2 and MotoGP are huge. »
Even though Malaysian Grand Prix was a difficult chapter for Nakagami, his outlook on the future and his role as mentor promise him exciting new perspectives.
Course MotoGP Malaysian GP
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