The LCR Honda rider has a great opportunity to get his first podium but does not want to get carried away so as not to make the same mistake as in Aragón.
Takaaki Nakagami had an almost perfect day yesterday, finishing first in FP1 and second in FP2, just 91 thousandths off the best time. He logically continued his momentum today and easily moved into Q2 with a sixth place in FP3. Second again during FP4, all the lights were green so he could achieve a very good qualification.
The weather nevertheless deteriorated and rain began to appear during Q1 for a few moments, making the track tricky and putting the drivers' nerves to the test. “I started with the bike I used on Sunday and then we improved it. It's just details, nothing special. Honestly, I didn't expect to encounter such difficult conditions today, I was a little nervous before qualifying but in the end I managed to do a good lap and I'm happy", he explained.
The Japanese therefore took his time during the 15 minutes of qualifying and achieved his best time during his last run, which allowed him to finish third. “It’s good because it’s a new front row, I think it’s three in a row so I’m very happy with it”, did he declare. “It's really important for tomorrow's race because it's not normally easy to overtake on this track. I'm happy and I want to thank my team because the conditions were tricky and they prepared the best possible bike for me, I just had to attack. It's a great result, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and we hope to bring back a great result. »
Nakagami will remember his mistake in Aragón, where he started on pole and fell on the first lap. No question of starting again: “I was very competitive, very emotional and I couldn't control myself. I made a big mistake but at the same time it was an important lesson. I feel calmer now. »
“I know I have an opportunity to get on the podium [here]. Obviously I would be happy to win but above all I will try to be intelligent”he concluded.
MotoGP Valencia-2 J2: qualifying
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
