The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team is greatly motivated to tackle the next challenge at another significant round. They will start the triple-header of consecutive overseas races with a home Grand Prix for Yamaha at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.
With a busy schedule ahead of him, Rossi is more than happy to come to Japan and looks forward to meeting the passionate local fans. He still holds third place in the championship with a 22-point gap to second, and with three races in three weeks he has all to play for.
Feeling in top shape, the Italian again aims to fight with the front-runners this weekend. He narrowly missed out on a podium spot in Buriram, but he fancies his chances in Motegi, a track where he stood on the rostrum on numerous occasions. He graced the premier class top step at this Japanese circuit in 2001 and 2008, he scored second place in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2015, and achieved third place in 2010 and 2014.
Two weeks ago Viñales returned to the podium in Buriram. Thanks to this strong ride he currently holds fourth position in the championship standings and arrives in Japan ready for action at Yamaha’s home race.
Since the Spaniard began his Grand Prix racing career in 2011, he has visited the Motegi podium four times, securing two second places at the Japanese Grand Prix in Moto3 in 2012 and 2013, a second place in Moto2 in 2014, and a third place in the MotoGP class in 2016. This year he hopes to reach the top step of the rostrum and add 25 points to his tally, thereby narrowing the 26-point gap that separates his fourth place from third in the championship standings.
The Twin Ring Motegi circuit was built in 1997 for test purposes. It was first visited by the MotoGP circus in 1999 for the Japanese Grand Prix. A year later it hosted the Pacific Grand Prix and it remained a major attraction for motorsports fans ever since. Its 4.8km lay-out features six left and eight right corners, and various hard braking and acceleration areas. In 2004 Motegi replaced the Suzuka circuit on the MotoGP calendar, to once again become the host of the Japanese Grand Prix and keep up its status as a circuit that produces lots of memorable and exciting racing moments as the end of the season draws near.
Valentino Rossi
Championship: 3rd – Points: 172
“After the Grand Prix in Thailand I went back to Italy, because I didn’t want to stay away for five consecutive weeks. So I went back to Italy for one week and stayed at home and trained to get ready for the three races in a row. I came to Japan feeling quite optimistic that I can be strong here too. Usually Motegi is a good track for me, I like it. I hope it will be dry, because last year was a nightmare, it was always wet. We’ll see what happens at the upcoming three races, not just this one in Japan. If we really improved the bike last time round, we should be competitive at the next three GPs.”
Maverick Viñales
Championship: 4th – Points: 146
“After the GP in Buriram my thoughts were that a race and a weekend like the last one should be normal for us, we were back where we should be. We had made a positive change to the bike and I felt very good, and the team has worked well. I think we’re finally getting the results after much hard work. The small changes in the bike are finally paying off. In Thailand my strong points were corner speed and I was also very fast at the turn-in. Then again, the tyres that were brought to Buriram were different from the usual ones, that could have helped me too. On the other hand, we made a change in the weight distribution, which also played a part. I’m very curious to get to Motegi and find out if it was the tyres or the new configuration that made the difference. Motegi is a very special circuit for us because it’s Yamaha’s home Grand Prix. It will be very important to do a good performance in Japan in front of all our managers and our wonderful fans, who are always supporting us. I can’t wait to be there.”
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director
“It’s always nice to go to Motegi, because it’s like a home race for us, as a Yamaha team. However, the triple-header also means the end of the season is nearing and that we have to keep focused 100%. These next few weeks will be very demanding for our riders and their crews. Both our guys are in fine shape, so I feel positive we can do some exciting racing in front of the Asian and Oceanian fans, who always make this part of the MotoGP calendar very special. Though Motegi’s stop-start character doesn’t traditionally play in our favour, Vale and Maverick like the track a lot, so we look forward to starting work on Friday in the first practice sessions.”
Japan Grand Prix Awaits Monster Yamaha Tech3 Pair
With a fantastic fifth place from the very first Thailand GP in his pocket, Johann Zarco arrives in Motegi, Japan this week with high hopes. As with this positive boost the French star aims to claim back the lead in the independent riders championship from Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci during the first of three back-to-back rounds in Asia and Australia.
Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin is on a mission as well. In the 16th MotoGP race of his career he arrives with great memories, as the Motegi Circuit is one of his favourite tracks, plus the Malaysian rookie lands in Japan after a promising top 12 result in Buriram, targeting another points scoring position. The action is set to commence at 9.55 local time (2.55 CET) on Friday with FP1.
Johann Zarco
Championship: 8th – Points: 123
“Motegi is a very nice track in Japan. I got great memories there from the 125cc Category in 2011, the title in 2015 and the pole position last year. Sometimes I forget that I got the pole there last year. I think if we have dry conditions during the weekend, for me it would be the first time on dry surface with the Yamaha because last year the entire weekend was wet, but anyway, I think I can get some good results there. I don’t know if I can be close to the race winner like in Thailand, but after this great Sunday in Buriram I for sure wish to be back up there again. Another top 5 would be fantastic. Being the first independent rider is anyway the main target, so let’s see. The track is good and the circuit of the big manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. There’s always a special atmosphere, also in the paddock. I just look forward to go fast on this circuit.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Championship: 18th – Points: 28
“I can’t wait to arrive in Motegi, Japan, because it’s one of my favourite circuits. I hope I can do well. I try to be inside the top 15 again and aim to be the best rookie. The team and me, we always work hard and now we’re already a lot closer. The team knows my style and I know the character of the bike a lot better than the last few races. I hope when we arrive there, we are ready to fight from FP1 to race day. I need to have a good position in Qualifying in order to have a good start and try to find a good group to score points. A few races I was starting from far behind and it was difficult in the first laps to come closer to the front. Now I try to improve my Qualifying to be in the middle of the field, so I have a better position to start. Maybe we can make it into the top 10 for the second time this year, the main goal is to collect some points and be as close to the front as possible.”
Hervé Poncharal
Monster Yamaha Tech3 – Team Manager
“After the Thai Grand Prix the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team is heading to the second GP in Asia, which is going to be Motegi, Japan. The Japanese round is always a very important race for the whole paddock, as it is the home of three of the top manufacturers involved in the MotoGP class. There is a lot of history, there are many suppliers there and for sure it is always a very special race with a lot of pressure, a very good organization, a circuit that our two riders like quite a lot and where Yamaha has always been strong. We know the weather can be very changeable at this time of the year and when it’s dry and warm this is a great place to race. So, let’s hope for a great week in Japan and wish our two riders, Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin will continue to show the form they were showing in Thailand.”
