Sunday, October 12, 2014

Aoyama 13th, Hayden 14th for Team Drive M7 Aspar in MotoGP Motegi Grand Prix
















12/10/14. 15 GP JAPAN - MOTEGI - RACE                                                                                                       

Hiroshi Aoyama puts on a show for home fans

DRIVE M7 Aspar rider makes big step forward on race day to finish thirteenth



There was victory for Yamaha on Honda territory today as Jorge Lorenzo repeated his success from last season at Motegi but second place for Marc Marquez was enough to seal a second successive championship for him and the Japanese manufacturer at their home circuit. The Spanish rider only needed to finish ahead of Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa to make sure of the championship and after a steady start he fought his way into contention and made the crucial pass on the Italian on the sixteenth lap. 

After two crashes during practice DRIVE M7 Aspar rider Hiroshi Aoyama was determined to put on a good show for his fans in his home race and after some hard work from his mechanics until late last night he was able to delight them with a charge from eighteenth on the grid to finish thirteenth. The day didn't start well for his team-mate Nicky Hayden, who crashed in warm-up, and luck went against him again in the race when his bike was damaged by debris on the fourth lap. The American fought hard to pick up points in fourteenth place, which is a positive result at a circuit that was always going to be difficult for his recovering wrist.  

13th Hiroshi Aoyama: “After two crashes already this weekend, which caused me to lose some confidence, I thought it was going to be a long 24 laps today. I didn't have a good feeling with the front but the mechanics worked hard yesterday and up until midnight last night to give me a better setting and I was really able to enjoy myself today. It was the best feeling I have had with the bike all weekend and I was able to put on a good show for my fans. We finished as the top Honda in the Open category and we closed the gap to the fastest riders in the championship.”


14th Nicky Hayden: “I crashed early in the warm-up this morning which definitely wasn't the best way to start the day and it affected my start in the race. Then on the fourth lap Redding ran a little wide and kicked up a couple of stones that hit my fairing and that affected the aerodynamics of the bike, making the front lift up. So it was a frustrating race and I expected to be much faster than we were today. On the positive side we picked up a couple of points and we have come away with something from a race that we knew was going to be tough on my wrist.”

  
 

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