Honda thought it had experienced the worst this year with the violent fall of its leader Marc Marquez, then his aggravated injury synonymous with a prolonged withdrawal. But there was Cal Crutchlow's throwing in the towel at Misano, which could even extend beyond Barcelona. End of series ? Nay! Now it is the turn of replacement and test pilot Stefan Bradl to claim a work stoppage. So much so that for this Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, we will only have two valid RC213Vs. Including a 2019 version which missed the best time by only two thousandths, with Takaaki Nakagami…
Japanese Takaaki Nakagami does what he can to console his compatriots Honda. And he's not doing so badly. On this first day of this second visit to Misano, he only bowed with a breath in the face of Brad Binder excited about his KTM. “ It is of course negative that Stefan Bradl is out. Only me and Alex are on the track. So we have less data this weekend, which is of course not the best situation for us, nor for Honda either » first regrets the Japanese.
« Unfortunately, Cal has been out of action for the past week. I don't feel any more pressure than usual. The guys in my box are calm. There are also fewer people. The strategy was the same in FP1 and FP2. We haven't made any changes. I generally feel sorry for Honda ».
« At the moment, I am fully focused on my work. I have a lot of confidence. I want to get on the first podium of the year this weekend. We are definitely faster than last week. We stay focused and want to improve further, because Yamaha is very strong here. Pole will be difficult, but I can definitely fight for the front row. It will be important that the race starts from the front row »Assures Nakagami.
Nakagami doesn't forget the 213 RC2020V
Regarding the bumps, which were a big problem last week, he comments: “ problems with ripples have not completely disappeared. But we are also on the right track. It depends on the straight line. If you go out a few centimeters, the bike becomes very nervous. Last weekend I tried different lines. Now it's better if I choose a different line from the start. Yamaha is really strong, but we are closer. We are also good in the last sector. I'm happy with the feeling on the bike. Last Sunday was a disaster, but now it's good to see how much we've improved ».
Nakagami also reveals: “ I tested the 2020 motorcycle Stefan bradl Tuesday. I felt good and the bike is not that bad. Unfortunately, I crashed at turn 2 on a bump. But times weren't that bad and pretty consistent. Right now I feel even better on the 2019 bike. But with more laps the 2020 bike will also become faster ". A message undoubtedly addressed above all to the HRC which sees Alex Marquez only 17th. but only seven tenths, however...
MotoGP Misano 2 J1: times
