Shuhei Nakamoto is the smart, silent, and sophisticated brain behind the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) MotoGP indictment, but after an absence from the top for the past four years, it’s the constructor’s thirst for the constructor’s championship. Its engineers have developed the fastest motorcycle early next season and its drivers have beaten all time records. How does the natural disaster in Japan affect his team’s good chances?
What happened in Japan is devastating and we all hope the recovery process will be as quick as possible. What is the situation like for HRC – how will this disaster affect racing activities in the coming year?
The situation in Japan is certainly very difficult and we are thinking of everyone directly involved. As HRC we were fortunate enough not to have any major problems, even if it is now difficult to work in our headquarters – we can only work five hours a day due to the applicable performance restrictions. Access to the office is also very difficult – the main train cannot reach Asakadai station – the closest to our office, and it is very complicated to get to work with only 50% of the trains running. Because of this situation, a lot of people are trying to come by car but now the traffic is incredibly heavy and it takes up to 3 hours to get to HRC instead of 1 and difficult to get gasoline as gas stations are closed . Another problem concerns our suppliers. Many of them are currently unable to work and this is a potential problem for racing activities in the coming weeks. So far we have all the spare parts we need for races in Qatar and Jerez, but after that we will have to handle this carefully if the situation does not change. Anyway, everyone in Japan is trying their best to improve the situation and we hope we can resolve any issues as soon as possible.
Motegi race postponed to October? Do you know anything about the situation there?
This was definitely the right decision. Motegi has some circuit and grandstand damage. It will take a few weeks to fix everything but I believe Motegi Circuit will do a good job soon.
We can imagine races certainly not being a priority at this point. However, the winter tests were very promising for Honda. With 8 days of testing in 2011, there was always a Honda rider leading the time sheets. What’s the secret behind it?
No secret! We keep the concept of the machine from last year and, step by step, have improved many little things in many different areas. It’s just a mix of good riders and good bikes. The new gearbox we are using is also an improvement. However, Aoyama on the satellite wheel doesn’t have this new gearbox and it’s still very strong, which means the bike just gets stronger overall.
The only Honda rider who has problems is Tony Elias. What is HRC doing to help him?
Of course we know Tony is a quick driver. He’s proven he won a MotoGP race in 2006 and won the Moto2 title last year – there’s no doubt about his talent. He has a special driving style and we try to help him get better traction and temperature with the rear tire. He used a modified chassis for this test in Qatar and we hope this will help him get a good feeling soon.
How about your competitors?
The two Factory Yamaha riders are very strong. They achieve very fast lap times and seem to be very consistent. Jorge can keep the same low lap time here and in Sepang on long runs and Spies seems to be stronger than last season – so I expect them to be very competitive. Ducati couldn’t set a good lap time in Sepang, but they catch us here. Again I expect them to be competitive. It’s tough for Suzuki with just one driver considering they have done a very good job so far.
In the last few seasons 4 drivers have won races on a regular basis. Do you think it’s possible for more drivers to win this season?
I’m not sure we’ll have to see. I think Dovi, Simoncelli and Spies are also very fast at the moment, so maybe they can win. It’s not easy as the level of the top 4 is very high, but it looks like there are more chances than before of having other winners outside of this one.