Having completed the Malaysian and Australian Grand Prix rounds over the course of the past two weeks, the Ducati Team now prepares to face the Japanese Grand Prix, which serves as the final leg of a taxing overseas tripleheader and the penultimate round of the MotoGP World Championship.
Twin Ring Motegi, which has hosted a World Championship race since 1999 (the event was called the Pacific Grand Prix from 2000 to 2003), is known for its unusual layout that sees a number of long, fast straightaways immediately followed by tight corners, putting a premium on a bike’s braking and acceleration performance.
In the past, the Ducati Team has earned four Motegi victories at the hands of Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, with the latter having clinched his first world crown at the circuit in 2007. Andrea Dovizioso likes the circuit and has finished on the Motegi podium in all three classes (including a victory in the ’04 125cc GP), whereas Nicky Hayden doesn’t count the Japanese circuit among his favourites.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team
“Motegi is a track that I like, but we’ll have to see what the temperature is like there. It seems that it might be colder than usual, and I think our bike could go a bit better there than it did in Malaysia and Australia. I really hope so because we must reduce the gap to the leaders. As for my MotoGP results, I’ve had a runner-up finish at Motegi, as well as my only pole position.”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team
“This is a special race. There’s a lot of tradition and history in Japan and the fans there are great, which makes it a lot of fun. It hasn’t been a great track for me, and in fact I’ve struggled a lot there, so it will be tough. Because of the stop-and-go layout, the bikes tend to wheelie, and I’ve struggled to take advantage of the Ducati’s power.”
Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“Motegi is an unusual track in terms of both the bike settings and the stress that the brakes undergo. The setup that we use will have to be quite different from what we used at Phillip Island, where the track has long, fast corners, compared to the stop-and-go layout at Motegi. It will be important to find a setup that lets us have good acceleration, as that can make the difference at a track like Motegi. There could be a possibility of rain or cold, so we’ll try to be ready for anything.”
Twin Ring Motegi Records
Circuit Record: Dani Pedrosa (Honda – 2011), 1:46.090 – 162.914 Km/h (101.230 mph)
Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2012), 1:44.969 – 164.654 Km/h (102.311 mph)
Circuit Length: 4.801 km (2.983 mi)
2013 MotoGP Race: 24 laps (115.224 km/71.592 mi)
2013 MotoGP Schedule: 2:00 p.m. local time
2012 podium: 1st Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Alvaro Bautista (Honda)
2012 pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:44.969 – 164.654 Km/h (102.311 mph)
Ducati Team Results at Motegi best finish)
2012: 7th (Rossi)
2011: 7th (Hayden)
2010: 1st (Stoner)
2009: 4th (Stoner)
2008: 2nd (Stoner)
2007: 1st (Capirossi)
2006: 1st (Capirossi)
2005: 1st (Capirossi)
2004: DNF
Ducati Team – Rider Info
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 04
Age: 27 (born in Forlimpopoli, Italy, 23 March 1986)
Residence: Forlì, Italy
Number of GPs: 202 (103 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Number of wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First GP win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 14 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Championships: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Dovizioso’s MotoGP track record at Motegi
2012: Grid, 6th; Race, 4th
2011: Grid, 3rd; Race, 5th
2010: Grid, 1st; Race, 2nd
2009: Grid, 7th; Race, 5th
2008: Grid, 13th; Race, 9th
Dovizioso’s 250cc track record at Motegi
2007: Grid, 2nd; Race, 2nd
2006: Grid, 2nd; Race, 4th
2005: Grid, 5th; Race, 6th
Dovizioso’s 125cc track record at Motegi
2004: Grid, 1st; Race, 1st
2003: Grid, 5th; Race, 3rd
2002: Grid, 5th; Race, DNF
Nicky Hayden
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 69
Age: 32 (born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, 30 July 1981)
Residence: Owensboro (Kentucky, USA)
Number of GPs: 182 (182 x MotoGP)
First GP: 2003 Japanese GP (MotoGP)
Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP)
First GP win: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP)
First pole: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
World Championships: 1 (6 x MotoGP, 2006)
Hayden’s MotoGP track record at Motegi
2012: Grid, 10th; Race, 8th
2011: Grid, 10th; Race, 7th
2010: Grid, 11th; Race, 12th
2009: Grid, 12th; Race, DNF
2008: Grid, 3rd; Race, 5th
2007: Grid, 3rd; Race, 9th
2006: Grid, 7th; Race, 5th
2005: Grid, 6th; Race, 7th
2004: Grid, 9th; Race, DNF
