TAKA TO START FROM SIXTH ROW IN BARCELONA
After finishing Friday as the top-placed Honda in the field, Takaaki Nakagami endured disappointment in Saturday’s qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix. Having suffered with grip issues at the Montmelo circuit in Barcelona, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider was unable to secure a place in Q2 and will now start tomorrow’s race from 16th place on the grid.
Third fastest overall yesterday, the Japanese star was unable to replicate that form in FP3 and finished outside the top 10 in 12th position. He improved to finish eighth in FP4, but was then unable to claim one of the top two spots in a competitive Q1 session. Having finished sixth, Taka now has plenty to do in Sunday’s race as he starts from the sixth row of the grid.
#30 Takaaki Nakagami (16th – 1’40.362)
“Today in FP3 the track condition was a little bit better than yesterday and so most of the riders improved their lap time compared to yesterday. We did as well, but compared to yesterday we struggled to find grip on both the front and the rear. We have still not decided which tyre to use in the race on either the front or rear. We’re still looking to find the best way for the set-up of the bike as well. Now we have time to think about what will work best for the race distance and forget qualifying as we know we struggled to find grip. Our starting position makes things much more difficult for the race, I need to overtake during the race which means I need a good feeling with the front of the bike.”
