HRC unwraps the updated 2016 Honda RC213V GP race bike in Indonesia. (more…)
HRC unwraps the updated 2016 Honda RC213V GP race bike in Indonesia. (more…)
In an effort to give thanks to its workforce and fans, Honda recently held its annual “Honda Racing Thanks Day” at the Motegi circuit in Japan.
The event saw Honda’s top stars being given opportunities to test some of the brand’s most iconic machines on the circuit, including both cars and bikes.
The biggest highlight of the event was of course, the presence of Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, who had the chance to take Honda’s special NSR500 two-stroke Grand Prix machines to the track for the first time.
They were also given the chance to test Honda’s NSX supercar, as well as racing go-karts and CBR250s against other stars like F1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Takuma Sato, and Toni Bou, Suzuka 8-hour winner Takumi Takahashi, Hiroshi Aoyama and Kosuke Akiyoshi, as well as ten drivers from the Super GT series.
Speaking after testing the NSR500 Grand Prix bike, Pedrosa pointed out that his experience on the bike will be a special one, as this was the first time he had got his hands on one.
“It’s been a really good weekend! I had the chance to have some fun and behave like a kid once again, playing with some very special toys! We drove some great cars and also had a chance to ride the NSR500, whilst enjoying ourselves with other riders and drivers,” he added.
Marc Marquez, on the other hand, said, “It was good to hang out together, talk about our seasons and see drive Honda’s new and old vehicles! I’d like to take this final chance to wish all our fans a very Happy Christmas as well”.
The much-awaited 2015 MotoGP finale concluded on a high note last weekend in Valencia, Spain. With the World Moto2 championship title already decided a few races earlier, the weekend saw both the World Moto3 and MotoGP titles being contested.
Firstly, the weekend’s Moto2 class saw injured outgoing champion Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat returning to the grid for his final outing in the middle class. Though this year’s Moto2 champion’s title was already claimed by Frenchman Johann Zarco, this did little in impeding Spaniard Rabat from putting on a stellar performance in front of his home crowd.
Putting his recent injury behind him, Tito was able to clinch his final Moto2 race win after a thrilling and drama-filled race that was red-flagged in the opening laps following a multi-bike pile up in Turn 2. The race re-started and ran for 18 laps, with Rabat putting on a masterclass to clinch victory ahead of compatriot Alex Rins in second and Swiss rider Thomas Luthi in third.
Rabat ends the 2015 Moto2 season ranking in third overall after collecting 231 points before moving up into the MotoGP class next year. Ahead of him in second is Rins who collected 234 points whilst champion Zarco leads the standings with a comfortable lead after collecting a total of 352 points.
In the Moto3 class, the title would be decided down to the wire. All British rider Danny Kent needed to do was to score two points to secure the title. If Kent failed to do so, then title rival Miguel Oliveira would clinch the title if he scored the full 25 points from winning the race.
Portugal native Oliveira put on a stellar display of his race craft by winning the race, but alas, Kent’s ninth place finish was enough to see him crowned as the 2015 World Moto3 Champion. Kent has gone into the record books as the first British rider to win a world title in any of the three classes since the legendary Barry Sheene who last won the 500cc title in 1977.
Just six points separated Kent’s score 260 points against Oliveira’s haul of 254 points whilst Italian Enea Bastianini ranks third with 207 points.
Of course, all eyes were on the weekend’s much talked about premier MotoGP class finale race. Following the controversial Sepang Clash with Marc Marquez, championship leader Valentino Rossi had to start from the back of the grid with the slimmest of margins ahead of teammate and rival Jorge Lorenzo.
Nevertheless, the sold-out crowd in Valencia witnessed perhaps one of the finest moments from the living Italian riding legend as he picked off the grid one by one, lap by lap. Rossi could only settle with a fourth place finish by the day’s end, but it was clear he was the people’s champion thanks to his unrivalled race performance.
The weekend undoubtedly belonged to home hero Jorge Lorenzo. Astride the number 99 Yamaha, Lorenzo already had the advantage by starting in pole position ahead of the Honda duo of Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in second and third respectively. All Lorenzo had to do was defend himself from both his Honda-powered compatriots to claim victory and the title.
Despite a late-stage charge from both Marquez and Pedrosa, Lorenzo’s lead remained unchallenged all race long. With Rossi settling for fourth position, Lorenzo took his third MotoGP title in his career with the race win in front of his home crowd.
Just five points separated Lorenzo in first with 330 points from Rossi in second with his score of 325 points. Ousted world champion Marc Marquez, on the other hand ends the season in third with his haul of 242 points ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa in fourth with his total haul of 206 points.
Though his tenth world title slipped away from him, Rossi remained upbeat and confident with his result. Surely, his stellar race performance has silenced both critics and doubters on whether he was deserving of the title following the incident in Sepang that has marred what has been a stellar year for the Italian.
Images: Dorna Sport / MotoGP.com
Many who witnessed the British MotoGP round last weekend would have noticed the presence of popular Hollywood actor Brad Pitt during the event.
Although it is normal for celebrities to grace MotoGP race events with their presence, not many are true fans of the race itself, unlike Brad Pitt, who expressed his undying love for MotoGP last week at the Silverstone circuit.
Speaking to ShortList, a lifestyle magazine in the U.K, Pitt said, “It’s just phenomenal. These guys are so poetic and beautiful, and yet they’re on the edge of complete and utter destruction. It’s incredible, incredible, incredible.”
“When I first started, wherever I was, I had to find an outlet who was going to broadcast it and at what time, including in the middle of the night. Now you can just go to motogp.com to watch it live. Nothing gets in the way of Brad Pitt watching the flag drop on race day: I’ll watch with whoever wants to watch with me, my wife, my kids – everyone’s welcome. But I’m definitely watching,” he said.
“I’ve always loved the bike. Over a car any day. These bikes are the ultimate – the space shuttles of the motorcycle world. I started watching a bit in the Nineties, the Mick Doohan years – the great Australian racer. But it wasn’t until Rossi’s time around 2001 that I came maniacal about it. I don’t think I’ve missed a race since,” Pitt’s admiration for the sport the same as even the most fanatical fan.
When asked about his championship predictions, Brad Pitt said that it is still too early, as the title race is still wide open between Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez.
When asked who his favourite rider was, Pitt said that he would always remain neutral, enjoying the sheer thrill of the racing itself: “I love Lorenzo, because his focus is absolute – this fighter pilot focus, He’s incredible. And then Rossi is just great. There’s a mythology around all the riders. They’re gladiators to us. These guys have to make decisions at 200mph in milliseconds. It’s just thrilling to watch.”
“You attach your life to it, and either it goes the way you want it to, or it goes against you. The gods are with you or they’re not. The millions of us who follow sports have had that experience. That ride of heartbreak and success, heartbreak and success, heartbreak and success. It’s hard to pull yourself away from that,” Brad Pitt is a MotoGP fan for life.
Pitt stars as a narrator of the upcoming MotoGP film – ‘Hitting the Apex’.
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