MotoGP riders face a full second half of the season, including sprint races – Takaaki Nakagami explains what’s most challenging about it
The second half of the MotoGP season begins this weekend in Barcelona, and it’s a tough one. Until the season finale in Valencia on 26 November, ten race weekends are on the agenda, divided into two doubleheaders and two tripleheaders. Little time to take a deep breath.
The new weekend format, which includes a Saturday sprint race in addition to the Grand Prix race, will be all the more challenging. In the meantime, the teams and drivers have come to terms with it, but it remains a tour de force.
“I think positively about it and I’m pretty happy with the new format, but of course it’s stressful and takes a lot of mental energy especially.”
“Even a race that is half the distance is a race. It takes the same mental attitude, the same pre-race preparation routine,” he explains.
“Physically, it’s absolutely no problem. Over the half distance, ten, eleven laps, the bike and I can push one hundred percent. That’s not a problem. But yeah, the only difference is that my body is okay, but mentally you do feel pretty drained after the race,” the Japanese rider continued.
“Then the next day we have the normal long distance. So we have to recover faster to prepare for the race on Sunday. So that’s the difference. But I feel okay. I mean, I’m enjoying it as well.”
“And it’s good for the show because it’s not so boring anymore. The sprint races make it very interesting for TV and I think most of the riders are happy with it. “
As far as mentality is concerned, Nakagami is compounded by the current Honda crisis. He as well as his brand colleagues are currently struggling with their inferior bike instead of for top positions. That wears on the nerves.
“It’s difficult, especially in moments like now when we are struggling and don’t know when we can improve. But the good thing is that I have a good team, good people in my whole team and yes, they help me a lot,” says Nakagami.
“Especially when I had a crash, when I don’t know where to improve. Then we sit together in peace and they try to help me to be strong and that’s good. I mean, that’s why I can start again, even after a fall. And we continue to do our best. “