SPEEDING A R O U N D
T H E
W O R L D
MEMORABLE SHOTS COLLECTION OF THE 2018 MotoGPâ„¢ SEASON
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his season was marked by different emotions for me and the whole Team: the rediscovered pleasure of having two talented riders competing in the MotoGP championship, the joy of celebrating Cal’s excellent results in Argentina (1st), Misano (3rd) and Motegi (2nd) and the discouragement of seeing him injured with three races to go (but this is another aspect of our wonderful sport and we must accept it), the satisfaction about Taka’s steady progresses on his debut year in the premier class and the final excitement for his top-ten finish (and Best Independent Rider qualification) at the last round of the season. Last but not least the massive gratitude for our partners that shared all this year’s unforgettable moments with us. Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal & CEO
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have had a fantastic season again with the LCR Honda CASTROL Team and HRC. We’ve had great races like Argentina, San Marino and Motegi and we had the potential to win the best independent team rider award. Unfortunately the injury I sustained in Phillip Island GP forced me to miss the last three rounds of the season (accidents are part of this sport anyway) but I am already preparing for winter test in Sepang. I would like to say thank you for all the well wishes I have received in the last weeks and of course a massive thank you to my fans for being by my side in good and bad moments through this year. Cal Crutchlow
LCR Honda CASTROL Rider
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y first year of MotoGP season has been tough, MotoGP bike is not something simple. I have to understand electronics and Michelin tyre. It was takes a time to adapt from Moto2 bike to MotoGP bike but team helped a lot during this season and always by my side. I’m grateful to Lucio, HRC and all my crew for always supporting me. They are very professional. I’m happy to stay with LCR Honda team and I believe that next season will be great season. I can’t wait to start the 2019! Takaaki Nakagami
LCR Honda IDEMITSU Rider
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he MotoGP™ paddock has been described in several articles as absolutely the place to be. I can say this is true and that the LCR Team staff is doing everything possible to also make this true. What happens in the paddock ? What makes the difference between this paddock and any other ? Or what is so special to be an LCR guest ? We consider everyone as friends coming to visiting us, and we want to please them by showing them our activities, our backstage areas, sharing a few anecdotes, taking them inside the garage and showing them the real action of the crew. We also try to explain briefly “How we do this amazing jobâ€? and sometimes, during the night, include a special dedicated visit to the pit garage. From my point of view, being in charge of the happiness of all our guests, I can say that the emotion I see in their faces, the light coming from their shining eyes whilst listening to the details, stories, or funny happenings of the paddock, give to me and the whole team the power and motivation to keep working to make every day better and better. We believe that returning home from any Grand Prix with LCR has to have been a unique experience, not just seeing what happens but breathing, smelling and feeling all the emotions of the most sensational motorsport in the world. As long as we continue to have friends coming to visit us, and them getting goose bumps listening to our stories or watching the live action, we will definitely continue doing this job and we will be proud to help give our friends an experience to remember. It is very easy to be a Happiness Manager with such enthusiastic guests. Actually, being the Happiness Manager of LCR Honda is the happiest work you could ever imagine. Fabio Alberti
Happiness Manager
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INDEX 12 36 WEEKS SPEEDING AROUND THE WORLD 14 GRAND PRI X OF QATAR 30 GRAND PRI X OF ARGENTIN A 48 GRAND PRI X OF THE AMERICAS 64 GRAND PRI X OF SPAIN 80 GRAND PRI X OF FRANCE 96 GRAND PRI X OF ITALY 114 GRAND PRI X OF CATALUNYA 132 GRAND PRI X OF THE NE THERL ANDS 148 GRAND PRI X OF GERM ANY 162 GRAND PRI X OF CZECH REPUBLIC 178 GRAND PRI X OF AUSTRI A 196 GRAND PRI X OF GREAT BRITAIN 212 GRAND PRI X OF SAN M ARINO AND RIVIERA DI RIMINI 234 GRAND PRI X OF ARAGON 250 GRAND PRI X OF TH AIL AND 266 GRAND PRI X OF JAPAN 286 GRAND PRI X OF AUSTRALI A 302 GRAND PRI X OF M AL AYSI A 320 GRAND PRI X OF VALENCI A 336 OFF-TRACK EVENT
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF QATAR
LOSAIL
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1ST - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - MARC MARQUEZ, 3RD - VALENTINO ROSSI, 4TH - CAL CRUTCHLOW
CAL RACE WEEK
BRILLIANT FOURTH FROM CRUTCHLOW ON OPENING NIGHT It was an excellent start to the 2018 MotoGP World Championship for the LCR Honda CASTROL Team as Cal Crutchlow brought his bike home in fourth place at the Grand Prix of Qatar finishing as the top Independent Team rider. The Brit started the floodlit race from the second row of the grid in fourth place, but dropped a couple of positions at the start. However, he gradually clawed his way back to the front runners, never losing touch with the leaders until just a couple of laps from the end when he was trying pass long-time leader Johann Zarco. When Crutchlow finally got past the Frenchman, the gap to the podium stood at one second, and with the tow broken, he just didn’t have enough laps to make it up. Nonetheless it was a brilliant performance to start the season for Crutchlow and the LCR Honda CASTROL squad, and hopes are high for the next round in Argentina, where he has stood on the podium before.
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“I’m happy. Obviously, the aim was the podium today, but then again the aim was also to finish in the points which we haven’t done here for the past two years. It’s a long championship and I want to thank my LCR Honda CASTROL Team who have done a great job over the winter. As have Honda as a manufacturer, they’ve done a fantastic job with the engine and it meant that we were a bit more competitive – especially on the straight.” “All credit to the guys on the podium, they did a great race, and it was good fun. That ‘elastic band’ just snapped when I got behind Zarco. The front three got away and when I got past him, I was at the same pace as them. I couldn’t gain on them, but I wasn’t losing either, and that’s when I just decided to bring it home and collect the 13 points.” “We now look forward to Argentina, where we’ve had good results in the past.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
NAKAGAMI JUST OUTSIDE THE POINTS ON DEBUT
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Making his debut in the MotoGP World Championship on Sunday night in Qatar, Takaaki Nakagami finished just outside the points in 17th place after a brave ride under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider has made an excellent adaptation to the RC213V over winter testing, and his performance today suggests that a positive season lies ahead for the Japanese rookie. Involved in a battle with his former Moto2 rival and fellow Honda man Tom Luthi, Nakagami was just over a second behind the points-scoring positions, and will hope for further progress at the next round of the season in Argentina.
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“First of all, I want to say a big thanks to the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team, because they helped me a lot over this weekend. Of course, I’m not 100% happy with the result – especially on Saturday in qualifying and in Sunday’s race. However, I completed my first race and after it, I think I’ve got to understand lots more things about MotoGP.” “Now we hope to make one or two more steps in Argentina – it will be a new track for me on the MotoGP bike, but I truly believe that I will be much stronger in the next race after this first experience.” Takaaki Nakagami
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BEHIND THE SCENE
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BEHIND THE SCENE
text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF ARGENTINA
TERMAS DE RIO HONDO
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1ST - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - JOHANN ZARCO, 3RD - ALEX RINS, 4TH - JACK MILLER
CAL RACE WEEK
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS THRILLING VICTORY IN ARGENTINA
LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow produced a brilliant ride to emerge victorious in an actionpacked Argentina Grand Prix on Sunday. Mixed wet conditions, a delayed start, penalties and crashes ensured it was a wild race at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo, but Crutchlow held his nerve superbly to see off the challenge of Johann Zarco to clinch his third career MotoGP win and the 750th for Honda in the premier class. Starting from the fourth row, Crutchlow moved through the field and took advantage of a start penalty that was handed to a charging Marc Marquez. Moving past Zarco and Alex Rins to claim second, the Briton hit the front seven laps from the end when leader and polesitter Jack Miller went wide at a corner. Crutchlow managed the closing stages expertly, keeping Zarco at bay to seal a memorable triumph. The Briton is currently leading the world classification with 38 points and will be back on track in two weeks time for Austin GP (Texas).
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“It was nice to win, but it was to be expected to be honest. I came into the weekend thinking I could leave here with a chance of being first or second with Marc (Marquez) and we ended up winning. I was comfortable in the battle, I felt I took no risks and stayed with riders that I probably could have dropped should I have needed to. “We have to be pleased, the team has done a fantastic job in the last two races and I think we could have fought for victory no matter which circuit it would have been this weekend. Now we go to Austin and we’ll aim for the top five and look to come out of there with strong points. This year I said I wanted to win some races! It’s really nice to be part of that group of riders that have been able to win these 750 races for Honda. I’ve been supported very well by them in the last few years and this year the support is even better.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
NAKAGAMI IN THE POINTS IN ARGENTINA
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami claimed his first points in the MotoGP class as he finished 13th in Sunday’s Argentina Grand Prix. Having started from last place on the grid, it was fine result for the Japanese rookie who has made an encouraging start to life in the premier category having now finished both of the opening two races of the new season. Nakagami handled the difficult conditions at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo well with rain and a delayed start complicating matters for the riders. He found good rhythm in the second half of the race and eventually claimed three points as he finished two places ahead of former world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
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“I’m really happy for the team to see Cal’s victory today. Also for myself, I’m really happy to take my first points in MotoGP and finish in 13th place in a difficult race. There were some delays and rain which made it difficult to concentrate and the race was really long. “But like in Qatar, our pace from the middle of the race to the end was quite good and I learnt a lot of new things again. Thanks to the team; yesterday was a bit disappointing, but to go from last position to take my first points today I’m really happy. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Texas and trying to make another step forward.” Takaaki Nakagami
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BEHIND THE SCENE
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF THE AMERICAS
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - MAVERICK VIÑALES, 3RD - ANDREA IANNONE, 4TH - VALENTINO ROSSI
CAL RACE WEEK
DISAPPOINTING DAY FOR CRUCTHLOW IN TEXAS It proved a demanding day for LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow as he finished outside the points at the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday. The Briton - who was leading the riders’ championship heading into the race - claimed seventh position on the grid, but ultimately paid the price for an unfortunate fall as he finished down in 19th position. Having made a solid start to Sunday’s showpiece in Austin, Crutchlow was amongst the pacesetters and was attempting to get involved in the battle for the podium places. But as he pushed to get past Yamaha rider Johann Zarco in fifth spot, the LCR man slid out and, despite restarting the race, subsequently lost all hope of challenging at the head of the field. Crutchlow is currently fourth in the world classification and will be back on track in Spain in two weeks time.
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“Of course today we’re very unsatisfied with the result. Going into the race we were leading the championship and coming out we’re now fourth after I crashed on lap seven of the race. It was a disappointing end to what was a good weekend and a great pace we set, I’m sorry to the team. I made a mistake in the last corner, I didn’t have a great feeling with the brake leaver this weekend and I wanted to try and make a good run on Johann (Zarco) that lap and get past him to the podium fight”. “I definitely had the pace, but I made a mistake in the last corner and went down. We now have to look forward as a team to the next race in Jerez, but I want to thank my crew for their hard work as we were on the pace throughout the weekend and during the race. We just look ahead and take the positives now.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
NAKAGAMI IN THE POINTS AGAIN IN AUSTIN
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami again finished in the points at the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday. Having secured 13th position in Argentina last weekend, the Japanese talent claimed 14th place in Sunday’s race to finish as the best rookie in the MotoGP class in Austin. Starting from 13th on the grid, Nakagami harboured hopes of a top-10 finish but struggled to find a good feeling with the rear tyre on his RC213V. Despite not being able to push as he wanted, the LCR rider once again proved his reliability as he saw the chequered flag and accrued more valuable experience ahead of the next round in Jerez.
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“It was another points finish which I think is positive. But after our qualifying result we were thinking about the possibility of finishing in the top 10, but the race proved to be quite difficult. We had a different feeling on the rear tyre, but I tried my best during the race and I learned a lot in these 20 laps”. “We have to take the positives from this, it’s another two points in the championship. Honestly I was hoping in a better result but finishing as the best rookie is a nice feeling. Thanks again to my Team and Honda for the great job they have done this weekend for me and and I’m looking forward to the next race.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN
JEREZ
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - JOHANN ZARCO, 3RD - ANDREA IANNONE, 4TH - DANILO PETRUCCI
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CAL RACE WEEK CRUTCHLOW SLIDES OUT OF CONTENTION IN SPAIN Cal Crutchlow started the Spanish Grand Prix at the Angel Nieto-Jerez Circuit from pole position, however there was to be no fairy-tale ending for the LCR Honda CASTROL man. He was overtaken on the run up to the first corner but grittily stuck in with the race leaders for the early laps of the race, passing Zarco for fourth and then making progress on the front three. It was an unfortunate early end to Crutchlow’s race however, on lap eight through turn one he applied the throttle and the front of his factory Honda sadly washed away from him. He remounted, but the damage to his bike was too much and having bravely battled on for several more laps, he was forced to retire from the race. Crutchlow and the LCR Honda CASTROL Team will hope for better luck at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in two weeks’ time.
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“I’ve only been on the front row once since here in Jerez last year, so it’s nice to take a pole position. We’re here to race of course, and that’s the key point of the weekend, but after bad qualifying in the last two races it’s nice to make up for that and get the pole for my LCR Honda CASTROL Team.” “I’m not sure these are the best conditions for our bike, honestly speaking. We have to manage the situation with the front tyre very carefully, but I think we did a good job overall today. We made the gamble with three tyres, although I might still have taken pole using just two if I’d needed.” “I didn’t push enough with the first tyre. I just wanted to finish the lap and set a benchmark, so I wish I’d pushed a bit harder. Then with the second I found I had more grip than I thought.” “We’ve done the hard work in the winter in the tests and I think it’s all paying off now. I hope for a good race tomorrow and an enjoyable race for myself and all the fans. I’m sure there’s going to be a good battle.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
BEST RESULT SO FAR FOR NAKAGAMI IN SPAIN
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami sealed his best finish so far in his fledgling MotoGP career, finishing in 12th place at the Grand Prix of Spain on Sunday. It was another positive weekend for the Japanese rookie, and despite losing positions in the early laps, he chipped away in hot and difficult conditions, even so far as passing a factory rider on the final lap to take an extra point. The result means it is now three point-scoring finishes in a row for Nakagami, who is now hopeful of making it into the top ten in the French Grand Prix, which takes place at Le Mans in two weeks’ time.
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“It was a really hard race in hot conditions. There were lots of crashes and the track temperature was quite high. It meant it was difficult to feel the tyre grip, especially later in the race with both the front and the rear. We still need to improve our starts to the race, and I have to understand why I am slower in the early laps.” “The LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team have really helped me all weekend as usual, and although we know we need to improve, at least we still took our best result. We’re not as happy with that as we could be, but next time we will focus on the beginning of the race, where I believe we can then get a top-ten finish in Le Mans.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE
LE MANS
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - DANILO PETRUCCI, 3RD - VALENTINO ROSSI, 4TH - JACK MILLER
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CAL RACE WEEK BRAVE CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS EIGHTH AT LE MANS LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow rode through the pain barrier to secure a remarkable eighth place finish in the French Grand Prix. The Briton was only passed fit to compete on Sunday morning having spent the night in a local hospital following his vicious highside crash during Q1 on Saturday. Having been given the all clear, Crutchlow demonstrated his bravery and skill to come through the field and finish well inside the points. The LCR man started from 13th on the grid and understandably took some time to feel his way into proceedings after Saturday’s incident. But he got stronger as the race wore on and ultimately ended a challenging weekend on a positive note.
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“I was actually a bit disappointed with the race because I knew all weekend I had the pace, but I finished where I finished because of the consequences of what happened yesterday. The team did a great job, they put a bike on the grid for me that was capable of challenging at the front of the race, but I just wasn’t able to today. “I wasn’t willing to push in the first laps, it was as simple as that. Over the first 10 or 15 laps I didn’t want to make any mistakes, I just needed to stay on the bike otherwise I could have done myself some serious injury. After that, I was able to push a little bit and pick some riders off, but I have to give credit to the team. It’s the first race we’ve finished for a while, it’s not a great result, but I’m happy to have finished and done a good enough job.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
NAKAGAMI IN THE POINTS AGAIN IN FRANCE
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami claimed another points finish in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans on Sunday. Starting from 19th on the grid, the Japanese rookie produced a patient and determined ride to take 15th position at the chequered flag, maintaining his record of finishing every race thus far in his debut season in the MotoGP class. Nakagami acknowledged he was still suffering pain from his crash in Friday’s FP2 session ahead of Sunday’s showpiece, but managed to post the 16th fastest time in the warm-up. The 26-year-old would struggle with front tyre grip in the second half of the race, but kept his concentration to take 15th spot and another point in the world championship standings.
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“It was a tough race and my physical condition is not perfect, but during the race I felt ok. It was not a great start to the race, but I had a much better feeling with the bike than in Jerez. I was behind Cal for a bit and I thought about trying to overtake him, but then he started to go away and so I tried to follow him.�
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“But after 15 laps I started to struggle on the front tyre as maybe I used it too much in the early part in the braking. From then I struggled a little to keep the pace, but I made an adjustment on the mapping which helped us understand a bit more from this race. The day after tomorrow we have testing in Montmelo and we just have to keep pushing and improving and now I’m looking forward to Mugello.� Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF ITALY
MUGELLO
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1ST - JORGE LORENZO - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 3RD - VALENTINO ROSSI, 4TH - ANDREA IANNONE
CAL RACE WEEK
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS SIXTH POSITION AT MUGELLO LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow showed his battling qualities to take sixth place at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. Having started from eighth position on the grid at Mugello, the Briton showed great patience and determination to secure an impressive result despite ongoing issues with the front grip of his Honda. Crutchlow acknowledged after the race that he had considered pushing for a podium finish at one stage. However, he recognised the need to manage his aggression in order to finish the race and secure a respectable points haul. The 32-year-old declared himself satisfied with the result and is now looking for another positive performance at the next round in Barcelona.
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“Today was a more positive result than we expected given the situation with the front grip of the bike. It was really difficult for me to pass. At one stage in the race I thought there was potential for a podium, but trying to overtake would have been a massive risk because of the front of the bike. “Overall we managed the situation very well, whereas some other didn’t. Now we look forward to Barcelona. The team did a good job this weekend, we managed to come away with a top-six result at Mugello so we have to be pleased.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK UNLUCKY NAKAGAMI RE-JOINES AND FINISHES THE RACE AT MUGELLO
LCR Honda Idemitsu rider Takaaki Nakagami finished in 18th position at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello after an unfortunate early crash. Starting from the sixth row, the Japanese talent was clipped by Dani Pedrosa on the opening lap and went down. Although he managed to restart, Nakagami was always a long way behind the rest of the field, but still managed to complete the race. The 26-year-old explained that he wanted to get back out after his fall having completed less than a lap at the iconic Italian venue. Although disappointed with the result, Nakagami managed to gain more valuable MotoGP race experience and is now hoping for a positive outcome at the next round in Barcelona.
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“I’m very disappointed about the race after what happened at the start on turn two. I understand that Dani (Pedrosa) lost control and hit into my rear tyre, it was a very unlucky crash. I took some time, but I restarted again. I went back to the box and discussed things with the team. They said no, but I couldn’t finish like that after two corners and so I restarted again. “The bike was ok, the handlebars were a little bit broken but I tried my best just to finish the race. Ok, I finished in last position, but this is racing. My pace during the race was quite good and I’m looking forward and am positive about Montmelo now. I want to say thanks to the team and the fans for all their help this weekend.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA
BARCELONA
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1ST - JORGE LORENZO - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - MARC MARQUEZ, 3RD - VALENTINO ROSSI, 4TH - CAL CRUTCHLOW
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CAL RACE WEEK
CRUTCHLOW BEST INDEPENDENT TEAM RIDER ON CATALAN SOIL LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow produced a classy ride to claim an excellent fourth place at the Grand Prix of Catalunya on Sunday. A late crash in qualifying on Saturday had seen the Briton start from the fourth row in Barcelona, but he demonstrated patience and the pace that had been evident all weekend to eventually finish just outside the podium spots. Having made a solid start, Crutchlow started to make his way through the field as he passed the likes of Maverick ViĂąales and Andrea Iannone. In the latter stages he became involved in a battle with HRC colleague Dani Pedrosa for fourth spot but, having got the better of the Spaniard, opened a gap which he maintained until the chequered flag. After his disappointment on Saturday, Crutchlow was understandably satisfied with the result which leaves him sixth in the World Championship standings, just eight points behind Vinales in third.
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“A good day today, obviously the whole LCR Honda CASTROL team did a good job. We’re pleased with the result. For the bad qualifying yesterday I’m sorry to the team, but I think we repaid them today with a good result. “I aimed for the podium and we finished fourth, so we have to be happy with the result and it’s also good for the championship. Thanks to my team for all their efforts this weekend, we put on a good show and now I look forward to Assen.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK NAKAGAMI CRASHES OUT IN BARCELONA LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami suffered disappointment at the Grand Prix of Catalunya as he crashed out midway through Sunday’s showpiece. The Japanese talent was full of confidence heading into the race having secured 12th place on the grid after progressing to Q2 on Saturday for the first time. However, Nakagami was unable to take advantage of that excellent qualifying performance as he failed to finish a race for the first time in his debut MotoGP season. Battling for the points place with Bradley Smith with 11 laps to go, the 26year-old man lost the front end of his RCV and slid out at turn five, taking Smith with him.
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“Unfortunately I had a crash in the middle of the race. From the beginning I didn’t have a great feeling with the front tyre and in many places I started to close the steering. I knew it would be a difficult race, but that made it harder. “On turn five I tried to overtake Bradley (Smith), but I was over the limit and I lost the front. I’m sorry for crashing into Bradley and sorry for the team also because this weekend they did a great job. Of course we’re disappointed, but tomorrow we have the test so we’ll just think about the next one.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF THE NETHERLANDS
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - ALEX RINS, 3RD - MAVERICK VIÑALES, 4TH - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO
CAL RACE WEEK
CRUTCHLOW SETTLES FOR SIXTH IN ASSEN LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow took sixth position in a thrilling Dutch Grand Prix at Assen on Sunday. As had looked likely all weekend, the race was close throughout with numerous riders competing for the podium positions. That battle went right down to the wire with Crutchlow missing out by less than two seconds after a gripping end to the event. Starting from second on the grid, the Briton opted to try and preserve his tyres early on by not pushing too hard, although he stayed well in touch with the leading group. Ultimately, fellow Honda factory rider Marc Marquez pulled away to claim victory, but Crutchlow was still part of the fight for second in the closing stages, only for a late mistake to cost the LCR man and force him to settle for sixth.
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“I think it was a good race, but the last two laps were my downfall as I made a big mistake when I passed Valentino (Rossi) and thought I could push for the guys at the front. But I ran really wide at turn eight and only just stayed on the bike and had to settle for sixth position. “I got a good start and not too bad a first lap, but I decided not to push too hard at the start as the front tyre was too soft for the Hondas it seemed – this is why you probably saw Marc (Marquez) get past on the braking a few times. I was happy in sixth or seventh where I was and just wanted to maintain my rhythm and do a good pace. But it was a good battle, I said (before the race) any one of eight guys could be on the podium and it seemed that way. All credit to my team though, they did a good job.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK
DEMANDING GP FOR NAKAGAMI AT THE CATHEDRAL LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami finished in 19th position in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. The Japanese rider expressed his disappointment at the result having put in a hugely encouraging display in Saturday’s qualifying, eventually claiming 13th spot on the grid having narrowly missed on progressing to Q2. Nakagami battled hard throughout Sunday’s race, but had issues with his rear grip which undermined his hopes of pushing through the field. Although he saw it through to the chequered flag once again, the 26-year-old was hoping for better and is now aiming to make further improvements to his set-up at the forthcoming test in Brno.
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“Of course I’m a bit disappointed about today’s race. After the start I was fighting a lot within the group, but I was struggling to find the rear grip with our option of the hard tyre on the rear. It was not the wrong choice because we tested this tyre twice and it worked well for us, but I just struggled for grip until towards the end of the race and my pace wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. “The team, as always, did a great job this weekend and I’m disappointed about the result, but I’m looking forward to the Brno test and am hoping to find another step forward. We’ll keep pushing hard and look to improve. The next race at the Sachsenring will be a completely different test, but I have good memories there and will stay positive.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - VALENTINO ROSSI, 3RD - MAVERICK VIÑALES, 4TH - DANILO PETRUCCI
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CAL RACE WEEK
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR CRUTCHLOW IN GERMANY LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow endured late frustration at the German Grand Prix as he crashed out when battling for the podium places. Starting from seventh spot on the grid at the Sachsenring, the Briton made a fine start and ensured he was part of the lead group who pulled away after a couple of impressive early passes. But, having looked well placed to make a push for the top three spots, Crutchlow saw his chances evaporate nine laps from the finish as he lost the front end when lapping in fifth. It was a huge blow for the 32-year-old who had looked good throughout and he was left to rue an opportunity missed when reflecting on the race afterwards.
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“When we crash with the front of the Honda we don’t seem to understand why, because three laps before I went in deeper than that and faster than that and had no problem. I felt good, I felt nice in that group and had made the split that had gone. It’s easy to say that I should have managed the situation better, I felt I was managing that well there, but in the end I lost the front at turn 12 and that’s always a risk when you’re sitting in a group like that. Our team and our bike are working very well, obviously I’m disappointed to crash before the summer break but we’ll have to try again in Brno and see if we can improve there”. “Again, it’s good to be up there and competitive, but also disappointing because I was ahead of (Maverick) Vinales, who finished on the podium, at that time and who had the soft rear tyre. But that’s the way it goes, sometimes you have good races and sometimes you have bad ones.” Cal Crutchlow
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LATE MISTAKE COSTS TAKA IN GERMANY
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami saw his hopes of a positive result at the German Grand Prix disappear after a late crash at the Sachsenring. After impressing in qualifying, the Japanese talent started from 12th on the grid and battled hard throughout as he looked to get back amongst the points after a disappointing run of results. Nakagami spent much of the race competing with Frenchman Johan Zarco and looked poised to fight it out for a top 10 place. However, a mistake a few laps from home cost him dear as he lost the front end of his Honda and slid out. It was a frustrating end to a weekend that had promised much for Taka.
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“I’m very disappointed about today’s race. It was tricky on the first lap because in between turn three and four there was an incident in front of me and I was really close to hitting them. But that was ok and then I was fighting with Johan (Zarco) and each corner we were battling. I tried to follow him but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner and braked too much. I lost the front grip and that was it, I crashed and it was my mistake”. “It’s easy to say after the race, but if I had finished I could have been maybe ninth or tenth. But I’m very sorry to the team because this had been a good weekend and I’m very disappointed it ended up like this. Now we must think about the next race.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF CZECH REPUBLIC
BRNO
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1ST - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - JORGE LORENZO, 3RD - MARC MARQUEZ, 4TH - VALENTINO ROSSI , 4TH - VALENTINO ROSSI
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CAL RACE WEEK CRUTCHLOW BEST INDEPENDENT TEAM RACER IN BRNO LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow claimed fifth place in the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno on Sunday. Starting from fifth on the grid, The Briton was always involved in the battle at the head of the field until the closing laps when a worn rear tyre hindered his chances of fighting for a place on the podium. Along with Ducati duo Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, fellow factory Honda rider Marc Marquez and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, Crutchlow was part of a fiveman fight at the front. Ultimately, the two Ducati riders and Marquez pulled away to claim the podium places, while Rossi pipped the LCR man on the line to snatch fourth. But Crutchlow was pleased with his performance overall and believes the is a lot to build on ahead of the next round in Austria.
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“I wanted to get third place and have a bit of room to slide, but I had people right behind me. (Jorge) Lorenzo did a fantastic job today to come through and get where he got. I ran out of rear tyre today, I couldn’t exit the corners like them (the leading three riders), I picked the bike up a lot, but it was the floating in the middle of the corner with a used rear tyre that was our problem. That seems to be the only difference between mine and Marc’s (Marquez) bike and we need to improve that”. “But we’re looking forward to Austria, my team did a fantastic job and so did Honda because this has never been a real strong track for Honda. We have to be pleased, to be in there in the battle, way ahead of Dani (Pedrosa) which is one thing that is important in my team and my result. We achieved a good result today, although I’m disappointed to miss the podium.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK TAKA MISSES OUT ON THE POINTS IN BRNO LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami just missed out on a points finish in the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Sunday. Starting from the seventh row of the grid, the Japanese rookie was impeded after a collision on the opening lap and then struggled to make up ground as he eventually finished in 17th position. The 26-year-old enjoyed a good start and was well-placed after the first couple of corners, but he then almost came off after a crash ahead of him and lost a number of places. Despite pushing hard from then on, Nakagami missed out on the points places and acknowledged after the race it had been a difficult weekend.
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“I had a good start and had a good position into turn one and two, but at turn three there was a crash ahead of me and no space. I had to brake and come together with Maverick (Viñales) and I was lucky to stay on the track, but I lost a lot of position“. “After that our plan was to lap in the mid to high 57s, but I couldn’t keep that pace on all the laps so I tried to change the mapping and my riding style to improve the lap times, but unfortunately I couldn’t do that. I’m sorry for the team, because everybody tried to give me the best bike, but this weekend I found it difficult to adapt to the MotoGP bike.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRIA
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1ST - JORGE LORENZO - 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - CAL CRUTCHLOW 2ND - MARC MARQUEZ, 3RD - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 4TH - CAL CRUTCHLOW
CAL RACE WEEK FANTASTIC FOURTH PLACE FOR CRUTCHLOW IN AUSTRIA LCR Honda CASTROL’s Cal Crutchlow enjoyed a lonely but brilliant ride into fourth place at the Spielberg circuit in Austria today, as he sealed the top Independent Team trophy for the second race in succession. It was always going to be a tall order to topple the might of the works teams from Honda and Ducati, but Cal guided his own factory Honda RC213V to four seconds clear of the rest of the field at a track he had suffered at in previous years. This represented a huge step forward from rider and team, and gives them high hopes for the next round of the championship, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks’ time, Cal’s home race.
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“We weren’t able to compete for the podium here today, but before the weekend I said we’d be happy with a top six finish and that’s what we have come away with. I rode well, but I couldn’t go away with the front guys at the start. It was impossible with the hard front tyre as I needed to build heat into it, as I almost found out at turn four on the first lap when I nearly went down”. “I am obviously happy with the result today. I finished 15th here over the last couple of years, so to finish fourth today is a big step forward. To go away from here with valuable points and a couple of races of strong finishes it means that I can throw the chips all in at Silverstone in two weeks. A top-five finish won’t be out of the question, and I will aim to get onto that podium in front of the home fans.” Cal Crutchlow
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NAKAGAMI PICKS UP A POINT AS TOP ROOKIE IN AUSTRIA LCR Honda IDEMITSU’s Takaaki Nakagami took his first pointscoring finish since Le Mans in May as he sealed 15th place at the Grand Prix of Austria on Sunday. The Japanese rider was delivered a difficult hand on his first visit to the Spielberg circuit as a MotoGP rider, with two practices ruined by rain. Nonetheless, as has become a feature of Nakagami’s season, the rookie battled hard to overcome his disadvantages, and fought his way through from 21st position on the grid, after an excellent start to the race. He had a fairly lonely ride until overtaking the factory Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro on the final lap to end the race as best rookie.
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The conditions today were quite warm and so I tried a new set-up during the morning warm-up, which was a positive step forward from qualifying. After a good start and a good turn one I was in a better position. It was a bit of a traffic jam, and turn four was tricky, but I found a gap and made up more spots. After that I tried to make no mistakes in the 28 laps. I tried to follow Viñales, but after ten laps I couldn’t manage it anymore, but it helped me keep a consistent lap time as it became a lonely race for me”. “I tried my best as always, and even tried to pass Espargaro on the final lap. I made it stick which brought home a point. It’s just one, but it’s better than nothing. I want to say a big thanks to the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team because the last few races have been tough for me. Finally, we have come back and we will try to continue that form. We have a test in Misano this week, so hopefully that will help us some more if we keep pushing hard.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF GREAT BRITAIN
SILVERSTONE
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BRITISH GP CANCELLED AT SILVERSTONE Torrential rain across England forced the cancellation of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami had qualified in 19th position on the grid, but was denied the chance to race at the circuit where he won last year’s Moto2 race because of the terrible conditions. Race direction opted to move the MotoGP race forward to an 11.30am start on Sunday morning to try and ensure that the event took place. However, heavy rainfall throughout the day saw that start time pushed back as track conditions worsened, with large areas of standing water around the circuit. Eventually, shortly after 4pm local time, the decision was taken to cancel the race altogether.
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CRUTCHLOW 4TH QUICKEST DESPITE BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS Intermittent heavy downpours disrupted Saturday’s usual proceedings at Silverstone with FP4 session red-flagged due to a pool of water on turn seven. After several delays due to the track’s safety conditions Q2 got underway on a partially wet track with LCR Honda CASTROL racer Cal Crutchlow posting the 4th fastest lap time. Tomorrow’s MotoGP Race will start at 11:30 local time due to heavy rain expected in the afternoon at Silverstone surface.
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“I’m devastated not to be able to race at my home Grand Prix, it was very disappointing that today went how it did with regards to the weather situation. The safety commission decided that we delayed and delayed all day and then decided finally that the track condition was not safe to ride due to standing water on the asphalt. But it was a very, very sad day for the fans and I’m truly sorry for them having come out in force to support me and all the MotoGP racers. We’re just sorry we couldn’t put on a show, as always I would have tried my best and I will try my best in the next Grand Prix also.” Cal Crutchlow
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SEVENTH ROW FOR NAKAGAMI AT BRITISH GP LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami will start the British Grand Prix at Silverstone from the seventh row of the grid after a truly challenging qualifying practice at the legendary venue. The Japanese rookie was thrown a curveball by changeable conditions during qualifying at the British track, with intermittent showers leaving the track wet in certain sectors and dry in others. Due to the weather, the race time of the British GP has been moved to the earlier time of 11.30am local, with the aim of avoiding the forecasted heavier rain.
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“Unfortunately the conditions were very bad. We tried to make a race, but finally race direction decided to put safety first and cancel all three races. Of course I’m very disappointed as I wanted to race, but we have to think about safety and I think it was the right decision. Of course, I’m very sorry for the fans and the media, but now we just have to think about the next race in Misano. We’ve already had one day testing there and it went really well, so that will be really important for the team as it’s a home race and hopefully we can make a good result there.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF SAN MARINO AND RIVIERA DI RIMINI
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1ST - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 2ND - MARC MARQUEZ, 3RD - CAL CRUTCHLOW, 4TH - ALEX RINS
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CAL RACE WEEK CRUTCHLOW ON THE PODIUM IN MISANO LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow claimed a first podium since his victory in Argentina as he took third place in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. The Briton produced a patient ride at Misano and was rewarded at the end as Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo crashed out on the penultimate lap to allow him into the top three. Starting from sixth on the grid, Crutchlow chose to bide his time initially, but eventually got past Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins to lap in solo fourth for the latter part of the race. Lorenzo’s unfortunate finish then gave the 32-year-old a welcome boost and the result sees Crutchlow move into sixth place in the championship standings – just 11 points off Lorenzo in fourth.
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“The Team did a fantastic job this weekend, this is a very important round for them, I was disappointed not to race at mine two weeks ago, so we put everything into this one. We tried our best, sure we got lucky with the crash of Lorenzo at the end, but as I said, I don’t really care because we did a good job. I’m proud of my Team and we now go to Aragon in good shape”. “I lost one second (behind Maverick Viñales and Alex Rins) and that just stopped me being there with Marc (Marquez) and Jorge (Lorenzo), but that’s the way it goes. I wasn’t willing to push at the start of the race as much as I could and I got passed by Rins. But overall we have to be very pleased for the Team and we head into the rest of the year in good shape.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK NAKAGAMI IN THE POINTS IN MISANO LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami produced a fine ride to claim 13th position in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. The Japanese rookie started from the seventh row of the grid, but built on a good start to finish in the points for the sixth time this season, eventually crossing the line just over five seconds off the top ten. Nakagami was aware of the need for a fast start after qualifying in 19th position and did just that as he made up places on the first lap. He was then able to maintain a consistent race pace and just failed to get past Franco Morbidelli at the end which would have seen him equal his best result of the year. The 26-year-old was pleased with his performance and is now looking forward to the next round in Aragon.
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“It was a really long race and it was hot, but it was the best conditions we’ve had all weekend. I had a really good start and overtook a few riders at the beginning of the race and tried to follow the main group. From the beginning to the end, my lap times were nearly the same, I didn’t make any mistakes and was consistent which allowed us to take some points. “I’m happy with this result, it’s only a few points, but it’s important for me as it was a difficult weekend. I want to thank my Team who did a really great job and gave me a good bike and let’s see what we can do at the next race in Aragon.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF ARAGON
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 3RD - ANDREA IANNONE, 4TH - ALEX RINS
CAL RACE WEEK EARLY FINISH FOR CRUTCHLOW IN ARAGON LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow endured a frustrating end to the Grand Prix of Aragon weekend as he crashed out early on in Sunday’s race. The in-form Briton had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the meeting in northeast Spain and, after qualifying in fourth position, had looked well placed to challenge for a second consecutive podium finish. Crutchlow made a good start from the front of the second row, but was held up by a coming together at the first corner that saw polesitter Jorge Lorenzo crash out spectacularly. Having fought back after losing positions, the 32-yearold was lapping in seventh and trying to get past the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro when he fell at turn one on the fifth lap, ending his hopes of another positive result.
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“Obviously I got a good start, but Jorge crashed in front of me – it was no fault of his own, it was just one of those racing incidents. I had to shut off because I thought I was going to hit him and dropped back to ninth or tenth. I made my way through, but then I had exactly the same crash that Marc (Marquez) had this morning at turn one, the bike kicked a little bit and l lost it in braking”. “I felt quite good in the race, I was happy with my pace at that point and felt I could go faster when I needed to. But I knew it was a long race so was quite content with the position I was in, over the next few laps I needed to pick off Aleix (Espargaro) and Dani (Pedrosa) and then maybe fight for the podium. But Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso) and Marc had a great run and the Suzukis competed well today so it would have been tough. We crashed anyway, so now we just have to look forward to Thailand.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK NAKAGAMI EQUALS SEASON’S BEST IN ARAGON LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami equalled his best-ever MotoGP class result as he finished 12th in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Aragon. The Japanese rookie built on his excellent performance in qualifying – where he progressed to Q2 in dramatic style – with a strong ride to finish narrowly outside the top 10. The 12th placed finish matches his result from Jerez back in round four of this year’s championship. Full of confidence after his display on Saturday, Nakagami underlined his improvement by going 13th in the warm up session. After a good start to the race, the Japanese talent became involved in a battle for tenth position with the likes of Maverick Viñales, Johann Zarco, Bradley Smith and Franco Morbidelli. In the end he finished just behind Morbidelli, with Vinales claiming tenth just five seconds ahead. It concluded a positive weekend for Taka who is now looking forward to the flyaway races, including a return to Japan next month.
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“I knew that this was going to be a tough race in very hot conditions. I had quite a good start and managed to find some space as everyone came together at turn one and got up to eighth or ninth position I think. Then I had a big fight with Aleix (Espargaro) and just lost a bit of concentration on the gears and lost acceleration which allowed everyone to get back past me”. “I think we were better in the early part of the race than we were in Misano, but unfortunately I still had a bit of a bad feeling with the front tyre after 10 laps. I was involved in a fight with Zarco, Smith and Franco and got P12 which is our best result I think. But I am not completely happy as we had the chance to finish closer to the top ten. But we’ll try to improve again and I want to thank my team as we improved a lot on Saturday and Sunday.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF THAILAND
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 3RD - MAVERICK VIÑALES, 4TH - VALENTINO ROSSI
CAL RACE WEEK CRUTCHLOW SETTLES FOR SEVENTH IN THAILAND LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow claimed seventh place in the first-ever Thailand Grand Prix at the Buriram International Circuit. The Briton looked well placed to challenge for the podium in the first half of the race, but the drop of the tyre grip undermined his push in the latter stages and he settled for securing valuable championship points. Crutchlow – whose RC213V carried the famous Castrol green and red livery in Sunday’s race – made a good start and battled with Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso at the front of the field early on. However, in the second part of the race, his rear tyre quickly lost condition and left the LCR rider unable to stay with the leading group. Despite the final result, the 32-year-old remains upbeat about the team’s chances in the forthcoming flyaway races and he is still leading the Independent Team Rider classification with 128 points.
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“Today was a great spectacle and a good show again to be fighting at the front for some laps of the Grand Prix race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the pace of the front guys, I did my best, but after 15 laps I felt a big drop in the rear tyre which meant I was pushing the front tyre and the pressure went very high in the front of our bike. And I wasn’t able to manage the grip very well”. “Our team did a good job to give me a bike to be competitive this weekend, it was important for the championship points to finish the race and be there. It’s one of my worst finishes of the season - to be six seconds off the win and in seventh place is disappointing because I’ve been six seconds off and finished on the podium before in MotoGP. But now we look forward to the next three fly-aways, Honda’s home race in Japan, and we’ll try our best in them and I think the tracks will suit me better.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK DEMANDING DAY FOR NAKAGAMI IN THAILAND It proved a forgettable first-ever Thailand Grand Prix for LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami as he finished 22nd at the Buriram International Circuit on Sunday. Having qualified on the fifth row, the Japanese rookie saw his hopes of a good result disappear after an early fall and, despite rejoining, could do little more than just finish the race. Having lost some places after the start, Taka was looking to make progress on the third lap but lost the front end of his RC213V at the final corner of the circuit and slid out. With his bike damaged from the crash, the LCR man was left to lap at the back of the field but showed perseverance to see the chequered flag.
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“Of course I’m disappointed, unfortunately there were some easy mistakes. I made a mistake on the brakes in the last corner and was too fast into the apex and lost grip. I lost the front and crashed, after that I rejoined and just tried to finish the race”. “It was difficult because after the crash the handlebar was not in the correct position and the foot peg was not where it is normally. All I could do was finish the race, I’m really sorry to the team. Let’s focus on my home GP in two weeks and I’ll never stop trying to improve.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
MOTEGI 267
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - CAL CRUTCHLOW, 3RD - ALEX RINS, 4TH - VALENTINO ROSSI
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RACE WEEK
SUPERB SECOND FOR CRUTCHLOW AT MOTEGI
LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow produced the goods at HRC’s home race on Sunday as he claimed second place at the Twin Ring Motegi. Having been consistently fast throughout the weekend, the Briton got the result his efforts deserved as he followed home HRC colleague Marc Marquez who secured a fifth MotoGP World Championship title with victory in Japan. Starting from the front of the second row, Crutchlow quickly latched on to Marquez and Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso as the three riders pulled clear at the head of the race. The LCR man looked comfortable as he stayed with the title rivals and it was only in the closing stages that they moved away. But Dovizioso then crashed on the penultimate lap allowing Crutchlow to come through for second after holding off the late challenge of Suzuki’s Alex Rins.
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“Everyone saw it was a good battle today. We’re pleased with the result at Honda’s home race and the Team’s done a fantastic job. The problem we had was that Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso) kept slowing down the pace so it allowed the people behind to catch up, but I think we did a great job managing the situation”. “I was struggling a little bit on the left hand side with the rear grip so I was trying to save the tyre for the end of the race and keep (Alex) Rins at bay, that’s all I needed to do. Then Dovi crashed and I took second place so in the end I was very pleased. At the moment we’re riding very, very well, we’ve had some good results lately and now we head to Phillip Island in good spirits.” Cal Crutchlow
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK POINTS FINISH FOR NAKAGAMI AT MOTEGI LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaaki Nakagami endured a challenging day at his home Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi. Having progressed to Q2 and secured 12th place on the grid for Sunday’s race, the Japanese talent had set his sights on a first top10 finish of his rookie season, but saw those hopes disappear after a collision on the first lap. Nakagami got a clean start and was settled in 12th position, but then got shunted as the riders bunched together in the early exchanges and lost ground as he momentarily left the track. He battled hard to move back up through the field and claimed a points finish with 15th position, but admitted afterwards it had not been the result he was looking for on his home patch.
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“The start wasn’t too bad, but into turn one, turn two and turn three there were so many riders around us that I didn’t have any space inside and there was an impact on my handlebars that made me go out of the track at turn four. I was lucky I didn’t crash, but I lost a lot of positions, from 12th to 23rd I think”. “That was tough because it’s always difficult to move back up. The race pace was what we expected, 46 high to 47 low, but everybody had the same sort of lap time and it was difficult to overtake the guy in front. I didn’t expect this race today, I’m really disappointed with it. It was a big chance to finish in the top 10, but after the first lap it was over. I tried my best, but I’m sorry to all my fans in Japan.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA
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1ST - MAVERICK VIÑALES 2ND - ANDREA IANNONE, 3RD - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 4TH - ALVARO BAUTISTA
CAL RACE WEEK CRUTCHLOW OUT OF AUSTRALIAN GP LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow will sit out the remainder of the Australian Grand Prix after sustaining a broken ankle in FP2 on Friday. The Briton headed into the event at Phillip Island in great form having claimed second place in HRC’s home race at Motegi last time out. Crutchlow started well at the iconic Melbourne circuit and was fifth fastest in the morning session. However, he suffered a heavy fall at turn one with 15 minutes of FP2 remaining which resulted in a fracture of his right ankle involving both malleoulus and distal tibia. After being seen by medics at the track, the 32-year-old was taken to Melbourne Alfred City Hospital where he will undergo surgery to correct the injury.
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK MORE POINTS FOR NAKAGAMI AT PHILLIP ISLAND LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami secured another points finish at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Japanese rookie battled hard to see the chequered flag after a punishing race at the iconic Phillip Island circuit and eventually claimed two more World Championship points after coming home in 14th position. Nakagami – who started from the fifth row of the grid - was one of only two Honda riders to complete the race in Australia. Although he was unable to find the pace he wanted throughout, Taka stuck to his task and managed his tyres successfully to ensure he chalked up another finish in his debut season in the premier category.
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“It was a difficult weekend. Today the weather conditions were a little bit better than yesterday, they were less windy and the track temperature was getting higher and higher. We decided to go with a soft compound on the rear and I think that was the correct choice, but I really struggled in the last ten laps. The lap times were quite strong and I couldn’t find the race pace I wanted. In the end I got into the points which is very good, but I was expecting a better result here so now we have to think about the next one in Sepang and try to be more consistent over the weekend.� Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA
SEPANG
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1ST - MARC MARQUEZ 2ND - ALEX RINS, 3RD - JOHANN ZARCO, 4TH - MAVERICK VIÑALES
STEFAN
RACE WEEK
BRADL IMPRESSES IN SEPANG COMEBACK LCR Honda CASTROL rider Stefan Bradl secured a creditable points finish as he deputised for the injured Cal Crutchlow at the Malaysia Grand Prix. The German fought hard to claim 13th position at the Sepang International Circuit on a day when Honda HRC clinched the MotoGP Constructors title once again. After a rain-affected qualifying on Saturday, the race took place in dry conditions after being moved forward two hours. As he did all weekend, Bradl adapted well to the challenge of lasting the full 20 laps on his RC213V and achieved his target of a points finish. He came home just in front of LCR team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (14th) to claim three championship points.
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“I’m happy, we finished in the points and that was my target. Of course, it was a tough race as I’d not ridden the bike in almost two months and then I arrived here in Malaysia and the conditions were unbelievably hot. Also the weather was inconsistent, so overall I think we did a good job and I’m happy with the team because they helped me a lot. As soon as I started with them this weekend it felt like I was back home, so I have to thank Lucio (Cecchinello) and the guys in the garage who did an incredible job. A big thanks to HRC as well as they built up a test schedule this year which allowed me this opportunity. Also I want to wish Cal (Crutchlow) a speedy recovery, I hope he’s recovering well and can come back as strong as he was before.” Stefan Bradl
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK TAKA IN THE POINTS AGAIN AT SEPANG LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami claimed another points finish after a battling performance at the Malaysia Grand Prix on Sunday. The Japanese talent started from the eighth row of the grid, but made up places to eventually finish in 14th position at the Sepang International Circuit as HRC secured the 2018 MotoGP Constructors title for the seventh time in the last eight years. Having been moved forward two hours to avoid further bad weather, the race took place in warm, cloudy conditions. But despite a dry track, Taka was unable to find the kind of rhythm he’d demonstrated earlier in the weekend. In the end, he had to settle for two more championship points and is now looking to sign of his season in style at Valencia.
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“The race was a bit of a struggle. The track temperature was quite good, although the condition wasn’t perfect. We chose a medium tyre for the front and a soft for the rear and I think that was the correct choice for us. But we couldn’t find the same kind of performance as in FP3 when we had a strong pace, around 2’01 laps. I wasn’t able to do that in the race and for me it was difficult to find the rear grip. The team did a great job all weekend and hopefully we can get our best result of the season in the last race in Valencia.” Takaaki Nakagami
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text: Elisa Pavan - Gavin Emmett - Mark Kendall - Tanja Haydn - photo: Milagro - Cormac Ryan
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GRAND PRIX OF VALENCIA
VALENCIA
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1ST - ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, 1ST INDEPENDENT TEAM - TAKAAKI NAKAGAMI 2ND - ALEX RINS, 3RD - POL ESPARGARO, 4TH - MICHELE PIRRO
STEFAN
RACE WEEK
BRADL BAGS TOP-10 FINISH IN VALENCIA Stefan Bradl ensured the LCR Honda CASTROL Team enjoyed a fine finish to the 2018 season as he claimed a top-10 finish at the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday. With team-mate Takaaki Nakagami ending as top independent rider in sixth, the German took ninth position after a hectic but thrilling two-part race in soaking conditions in south-east Spain. With the initial race red-flagged at the start of lap 16 after heavy rain waterlogged the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, a second 14-lap contest was held. Bradl – who is deputising for the injured Cal Cructhlow – showed great concentration to battle through to the chequered flag inside the top 10, ahead of the likes of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.
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“First of all I would like to say thank you to HRC and LCR for the support and help I have received after replacing Cal for these two races. I also wish Cal well and hope he can return next year even stronger on the bike. I enjoyed working with LCR again, there are still a lot of things I remember from the past. Today was an incredibly difficult race as you could see from the track condition, the amount of water there was incredible and there were many crashes. My confidence in the wet was not great because I don’t have any experience riding the MotoGP bike in the wet, so for this reason I needed some laps to feel good. It took a while, but in these conditions it’s easy to make mistakes and I’m happy I finished the race in ninth position. It’s ok and thanks to the team for all their efforts.” Stefan Bradl
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TAKAAKI RACE WEEK NAKAGAMI IS TOP INDEPENDENT RIDER IN VALENCIA LCR Honda IDEMITSU rookie Takaaki Nakagami ended the 2018 MotoGP season in spectacular style as he was the top independent finisher at the Valencia Grand Prix. Heavy rain on Sunday ensured it was a chaotic closing contest with the initial race red-flagged after numerous crashes on a soaked Ricardo Tormo Circuit. A second 14-lap race then started and Taka held his nerve superbly in the most testing of conditions. In the end, the Japanese starlet claimed sixth position, just behind Honda colleague Dani Pedrosa, to emerge as the top independent – his first top-10 in the premier category and easily the best result of his debut season in MotoGP.
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“It was really tough. I was scared on every lap, each corner, but it’s an amazing feeling. It’s a little bit strange, I never thought I’d finish as the top independent rider, but it’s an amazing day for me and a great race. There was a lot of pressure, but last night Cal (Crutchlow) texted me and told me to concentrate, make no mistakes and, because I had nothing to lose, push hard. That was great, so thanks to him, and also to my team, it’s an unforgettable day. It’s so good to finish the season like this and now we will look to next season, starting with the test here on Tuesday. But tonight we will definitely have a party!” Takaaki Nakagami
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BEHIND THE SCENE
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OFF-TRACK EVENTS
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LCR AND HONDA
MILANO - ITALY
2019 HRC FACTORY RIDERS OFFICIAL PRESENTATION
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LCR AND HONDA
JAPAN
MEET AND GREET AT HONDA HEADQUARTER
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LCR AND HONDA
HONDA FACTORY VISIT
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JAPAN
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LCR AT EICMA
MILANO
MEET AND GREET WITH LCR PARTNERS AT EICMA EXHIBITION
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LCR AND GIVI
BRESCIA - ITALY
MEETING THE FANS AT VISENZI MOTOMARKET
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LCR AND GIVI
MALAYSIA
VISITING GIVI VIETNAM
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LCR AND GIVI
BRESCIA - ITALY
GIVI’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
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LCR AND CASTROL
GREAT BRITAIN
CASTROL TECNOLOGY CENTRE VISIT
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LCR AND CASTROL
VIETNAM
TOP 50 VIETNAM MECHANICS’ CONTEST
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LCR AND SIFI
WIEN - AUSTRIA
DRIVING VISION SCIENCE CONFERENCE AT ESCRS OPHTHALMOLOGIC CONGRESS
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LCR AND CUSTOM
RIMINI - ITALY
SIGEP EXHIBITION - CUSTOM STAND
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LCR AND DRUDI PERFORMANCE
MILANO - ITALY
“I COLORI DEL MOTOMONDIALE” EXHIBITION AT MUSEO DELLA SCIENZA E DELLA TECNICA
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LCR AND COMET-LAVOR
BOLOGNA - ITALY
COMET – LAVOR PARTNERSHIP PRESENTATION
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LCR AND PAL
RIMINI - ITALY
ECOMONDO EXHIBITION
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SPECI AL TH AN KS We are extremely grateful to all the friends and brands involved in this unforgettable season. With your hard work, support and passion, you keep on making us bigger as a MotoGP team. With this book we want to express our deepest gratitude for being always by our side.
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C R ED ITS
ED ITO R -I N -C HI EF LCR G ra p h i c D e p a r t m e n t
C O O R D I N ATO R S Lu cio Ce cch in e ll o Fa b io A lb e r t i Fa b i o M a zzo n i E l i s a b e t t a Bo n e t t i
C O NTR I BU TO R S E l i s a Pava n G av i n E m m e t M a r k Ke n d a ll Ta n j a H ayd n
G R A PHI C D ES I G N ER S E r r i co G a s p e ro n i E m a n u e le Va ll o ra n i
PHOTO GR A PHER S M il a g ro Te a m M i rco L a zza r i R a f f a e l l a G i a n o ll a Co r m a c R ya n M e e n a n M a s s im o Vis co n t i Matteo Gasparri N e l l y P l u to
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CAL CRUTCHLOW
TAKAAKI NAKAGAMI