MOTUL GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN

16 October 2016

Espargaro finishes as leading Yamaha in Motegi - Heroic Smith seizes points

Pol Espargaro delivered a strong performance in front of 52,000 passionate fans at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit to seize 6^th in his 50^thMotoGP race with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team. The Spaniard sped away from the rear of the third row of the grid when the event began and after navigating his way around the stop and go track on the first lap, he crossed the line in 8^th, having improved on his qualifying position by one place. From here, the 25-year-old quickly set into a strong rhythm, which saw him open up a gap to the pursuing riders as he tried to hunt down Cal Crutchlow in front of him. At the midpoint of the 24 lap sprint, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion was up to 7^th as he maintained his consistency whilst he pushed on as the distance counted down. After producing a tireless effort right until the end of the demanding race, Espargaro met the chequered flag in 6^th which marks a solid conclusion to the round 15 battle.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Bradley Smith bravely rode to 13th at the Japanese Grand Prix, despite not having full race fitness due to his injured right knee. The young Briton, who was making his first MotoGP appearance since damaging his knee in August, began the 24 lap contest from the fifth row of the grid. When the lights went out, he lunged forward but was shuffled back to18^th by the close of the opening lap. However, Smith focused and quickly set into a consistent rhythm, which saw him move back into the points with a third of the total distance having been completed. He dug deep and at the half way point, he was running in 14^th as he continued to lap at a notable pace. Eventually, the 25-year-old crossed the finish line in 13^th, which marks an impressive result when considering his condition, at Yamaha’s Home Grand Prix. Now, Smith confidently eyes up the Australian Grand Prix, which will take place in a week’s time.

Profil

Profil

“It was another great race today and who could have imagined that the two factory Yamaha MotoGP riders would not see the finish flag and Marc would win the championship. With regards to the Tech3 guys, firstly, I want to congratulate Pol because he did the best that he could all weekend long. 6th is a solid position, plus he was also the leading Yamaha, but we know the reasons why. He was a bit too far behind Cal and never got close enough to pass him, so he wisely just kept control of the gap to the pursuing riders, before crossing the line. In terms of the fight for the top independent rider in the championship standings, anything is possible because Cal is only ten points ahead of us and we have three more races to go. On the other side of the garage, I have to say that Bradley did a superb job today and I want to give him very special congratulations because when he arrived here on Thursday, we weren’t sure if he could even do one lap. Not only did he complete all of the practices, but he also qualified in 15th which is quite incredible. However, we didn’t think that he could complete the entire distance. It’s amazing that he did and he scored a good result ahead of some of the regular riders who are fully fit. So I want to give him massive thanks and hopefully, his knee should be a bit better in Australia. Thanks to the whole team for their hard work and let's see what happens down under next week.”

Pictures for editorial only - Copyright Monster Yamaha Tech3 2016

MOTUL GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN

16 October 2016

TRACK DATA

Pole position : Left
Length : 4,801 m
Width : 15 m
Corners : 14 (8 right, 6 left)
Longest Straight 762 m
Constructed 1997
Modified 1997

CIRCUIT LOCATION

GPS Circuit Entrance: 36° 32′ 01″ North, 140° 13′ 39″ East

HISTORY

Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the twin ring circuit at Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became home to MotoGP in 2000 whilst the oval is designed to introduce American motorsports culture to the country. Twin Ring Motegi is a major attraction for motorsports fans all year round as it is the venue for the Honda Collection Hall, a museum which houses an illustrious collection of motorcycle, car and racing machines from throughout the ages. The complex also includes a safety and riding school, dirt track, go-karts, hotel, restaurant, shops and event halls and currently employs some 300 staff.