With 28 points behind his compatriot leader of the World Championship, Maverick Vinales is now obliged to sound the charge. With his 28-point lead, Marquez can finish second in the remaining four races and win the title. Maverick no longer has a choice, he must win.
After an exceptional start to the season for Jorge Lorenzo's replacement at Yamaha, Vinales stalled in the second half of the season, reaching the podium only twice in the last eight races. He finished fourth at Misano and Aragon, but Marquez won both events. Andrea Dovizioso, although having lost a little ground, is still in second position, 12 points ahead of Vinales.
For the moment, Maverick cannot count on the help of his teammate Valentino Rossi for a multitude of reasons: the Italian champion can still hope to win the title, there are four races remaining, and above all Vale already has a lot to do with his convalescence , the three consecutive GPs being physically demanding.
Confidence for Vinales could come from his very good results obtained at Twin Ring Motegi: for his first race in 2011, he finished fourth in the GP 125 won by Johann Zarco, on his Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Aprilia.
Then he finished second the following year for the first year of Moto3, on an FTR Honda from the Blusens Avintia team (which had lost Paris Hilton along the way). He finished second again in Moto3 in 2013, on a Team Calvo KTM, behind Alex Marquez.
For his first Japanese Moto2 GP in 2014, he finished second on a Kalex Paginas Amarillas HP 40 behind Tom Lüthi's Suter. That made three consecutive podiums, completed by a good third place in MotoGP last year on Suzuki, behind… Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso! A destiny ?
To Maverick Vinales, who are " The next Grand Prix, held in Japan, is very special for me since it is one of my favorites of the season and it is also Yamaha's home race.
“I hope to do a good job and be able to collect more points for the championship, which is crucial to continue fighting for the title. For the next races we must try to work even more than usual.
“We must continue to fight and work with strong motivation, although it will not be easy to finish the last part of the season and close the gap between the championship leader and me.
“I arrive in Japan with the aim of learning and becoming even stronger. I am confident that with the support of the incredible fans at Motegi Circuit, we will be able to give our 100%. »
According to his team manager Massimo Meregalli, « Arriving in Japan, we are about to enter the last crucial part of the season. We start with the three consecutive overseas races before the final GP in Valencia. These three events in a row are always a challenge, because they require a lot of concentration, but we can't wait to get started.
“The Japanese Grand Prix is very special for us because it is Yamaha's home race and the passionate fans play a big role in it. Their support makes this GP a great event for the whole team.
“Although the Motegi circuit is a difficult track to find a good setup due to its accelerate-brake nature, we have had a lot of success there in the past and we will be at the limit again this weekend.
“Maverick really likes this track and with Valentino's condition improving day by day, we're looking forward to a great, action-packed weekend. »
Photos © Yamaha
