P1racenews AI automatic summary:
When Marc Marquez departs for Gresini Ducati at the end of next month, Takaaki Nakagami will take over as Honda’s most experienced RC213V rider.
Takaaki Nakagami has spent his entire six-year MotoGP career with Honda, specifically at the satellite LCR team. In contrast, his current teammate Joan Mir has only one year of experience with Honda, while Johann Zarco has made three appearances for Honda in 2019. Nakagami was brought into MotoGP during Honda’s successful period with Marc Marquez winning titles in 2018 and 2019. However, Honda’s performance declined after Marquez’s injury in Jerez 2020, resulting in a winless 2022 season. Despite this, Nakagami is determined to contribute to the development of the Honda bike next year and hopes that the opinions of more riders will be taken into account. Although there are rumors of Zarco replacing Marquez at the Repsol team, Nakagami has ruled out such a move and expressed his happiness with the LCR team and their main sponsor, Idemitsu. Currently, Nakagami is in 18th place in the world championship, just four points behind his teammate Alex Rins. In the recent race at Mandalika, Nakagami took a risk by using a soft tire, despite Michelin’s warning, and finished in 11th place.
Source: Crash
