Let's talk MotoGP: This ghost rider is not so uninteresting

They have not been idle during this 2023 season. During the winter, “Parlons MotoGP” will look at each of the participants in this exercise, and take stock; today, it’s the turn of ghost driver Takaaki Nakagami. Did he succeed? Did he fail? Could we expect more? It’s time for analysis. Of course, you are invited to give your opinion in comments, because it matters a lot. Yesterday, we returned to Álex Rins, in an article that you can find by clicking here.

One more season

Takaaki Nakagami goes through his adventure in MotoGP. For his sixth season, he ranked 18th again with only 56 points. Frankly, there is not much to say about him except that he is absolutely anecdotal, transparent. This is due to his discreet character, very Japanese in spirit, but also to his status as “default” pilot, while waiting for another Japanese to come and take his place financed by the big oil company Idemitsu. For a time, we saw Ai Ogura as his logical successor, but since he collapsed at the end of 2022, then injured, that is no longer on the agenda.

So, Takaaki is back for another year, without having proven anything more, if not mid-season, time a few consecutive rounds. It's quite dramatic, it must be said, because he takes someone's place on the grid. The results are fairly quick, and they are even worse than in previous years.. No top 7 for the first time, and only three top 10s. Eighth place as best result at Assen, and that's it.

It's a shame, but he is also the embodiment of Japan's decline in MotoGP, just like his employer. Photo: Michelin Motorsport

I think this is the pilot with the least flashes of the season. Even some alternates and wild cards had some notable performances, but not him. I can't tell you a single positive action involving him - I added the term because he was responsible for Brad Binder's crash during the Argentine Grand Prix. I won't insult him by comparing him to Alex Rins, winner after three Grand Prix on the machine with which he has been racing since 2018. Fortunately for his form, he finished ahead in the general classification by only two points, while the Spaniard has only finished four races. It's scary.

Is it so terrible?

However, I think we can recognize a quality in him ; regularity. Strangely enough, he does not seem impacted by the decline of Honda, and continues to finish around 13th position with few falls on the scale of a campaign, whatever happens. There is only one this season on Sunday, in Austin.

One of the last title sponsors in MotoGP, meaning a complete livery in the color of a single brand. Photo: Michelin Motorsport

Once you accept that he's there because of the sponsor, and that it's Takaaki Nakagami, then you can't complain. Who expected more? Person. When you compare him to a MotoGP world champion like Joan mir within the official team, it's not so bad. Taka' is an honest driver, and at 31 already, there is no point in falling on him. Just as it is useless to overwhelm him for having experienced Honda's descent into hell verified in 2019. No one expects him to save the world's largest manufacturer.

It's a shame that a young person can't benefit from an extra handlebar, but in the end, Honda is just as responsible as he is. If the most powerful brand in the motorcycle world needs Idemitsu's money, then what more can we say? The tickets are always right.

What do you think of this pilot, if and only if you saw it on screen in 2023? Tell me in the comments! Besides, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, with a thought for those who are alone this evening.