MotoGP GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi
Reale Avintia Racing Team riders Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres head to Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. The Japanese round is the first of three races on consecutive weekends, with Phillip Island (Australia) and Sepang (Malaysia) to follow.
Simeon heads to Motegi highly motivated following his performance at the Chan International Circuit last time. In Thailand, the Belgian rider was really comfortable riding his Ducati GP17 and this weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi, he expects to be competitive and fight for the top 15 positions.
Spaniard Jordi Torres will continue to replace injured Tito Rabat. In his third race in MotoGP, Torres wants to make the most of his previous experiences with the bike and the MIchelin tyres in order to get closer to other riders. He already beat some rivals at Buriram and he wants more in Motegi.
The MotoGP action will start on Friday with FP1 at 9:55h local time.
“We made a step forward in Thailand with the bike set-up and I hope this set-up will also work in Motegi. I’ve never been so comfortable with the bike and no doubt it was my best race in MotoGP so far. The Twin Ring Motegi will suit our Ducati and I’ll work hard from Friday get the best of the weekend, trying to fight for my first points in the premier class on Sunday.”
“We arrive at Japan with high expectations. I didn’t race in Motegi since 2014, but I like the track because it’s quite technical and features hard braking points. I hope to understand the bike and the riding style better to be more efficient. It was good not riding bikes in the last few days because this allows me to bring all the feelings from Thailand to Japan without any interference. It will be great to keep working with the team and learn more in these overseas races, where you live together and you bond with the team even more. I trained a lot before this race and I’ll be physically and mentally fit for this weekend.”
