Podium stays the target for Bautista as overseas triple header comes to a close in Motegi
After producing a superb performance in difficult circumstances at Phillip Island on Sunday Alvaro Bautista heads straight to Motegi this week looking to continue his good form and, if possible, challenge for a repeat of his podium in the Grand Prix of Japan last season.
The Team GO & FUN Honda Gresini rider has been a consistent presence in the top five in the second half of the season and after narrowly missing out on a rostrum appearance on several occasions he would like nothing better than to achieve it at the home of Honda this Sunday.
Alvaro Bautista “We could never have thought on the night before the race at Phillip Island that we would be moving on to Japan with such a strong result under our belts. Our bike wasn’t working with the hard tyre that we were forced to use, but thanks to an incredible job for the team we managed to salvage something and I am delighted with the result – it was just a shame that once again we missed out on the podium by such a small margin. We have to try to make up for that disappointment this weekend at Motegi, where we managed to finish on the podium last year. With the progress we have made lately and with this being Honda’s home track I think we can close the gap to the front even more. We have good memories and good data from a fantastic weekend at Motegi last year and even though the level is higher this season we will do our best to repeat the result. We need to stay focused on finding a good setting for the bike from the first session and then hopefully I can enjoy myself. Brakes will be really important at this track and we will do our best to make sure we don’t have problems in this crucial area.”
Fausto Gresini “Motegi is always a special event for our team. Japan is like our second home, we have a very strong relationship with Honda and together we have produced some great champions from this country. We are happy to be travelling to Motegi this weekend and our motivation to do well at the Twin Ring circuit could not be higher. We are in good form at the moment, getting stronger and stronger and now we just need the kind of result that we missed out on so narrowly at Phillip Island. Alvaro once again showed the progress we are making in Australia and now he wants to demonstrate it at Motegi. He was on the podium there last year and we all want to see him do it again. We are gradually closing the gap to the guys at the front and thanks to the work of the team, the Showa and Nissin technicians and Honda, who have given us a very competitive motorcycle, we are close to our goal.”
Source: Gresini Racing
