Nakagami: “If Márquez starts to win, we will have to adapt to his bike”

October 8, 2021

The Japanese rider is entering his fourth season in the top category, with Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR team. In 2021 he has for the first time an official Honda RC213V , like Marc Márquez’s, which can be a blessing and a curse.

On the one hand, he’s up against one of the strongest riders in MotoGP history, while on the other hand, he’s immersed in constant development work that requires a certain amount of skill and talent to perform well.

Pol Espargaró, Márquez’s partner in the Repsol Honda team, has followed a different path than the eight-time world champion in terms of motorcycle development. This situation also affects satellite formations.

“Marc is not 100% yet, but he has been able to fight for victory on some circuits. That means he is improving physically,” Nakagami told Motorsport.com at a Red Bull event near Misano.

“His style is very physical, he knows how to develop the bike that suits him. His bike is improving, so maybe we have to adapt ours to what he does. I think it’s the easiest way: if Marc starts to win, it means that the bike works and therefore we have to follow its example”.

(Before reading on, click on this link or on the photos to see all of Marc Márquez’s bikes)

Last year, due to Marquez’s absence, Nakagami was more involved in the development of the RC213V, with some interesting results.

“This season we are suffering more than last year. The good thing is that we try to improve and continue to improve, and that happens in each event. HRC brings news and updates, so they know in which direction to go,” adds the Japanese.

“At the same time it’s difficult because, let me say, as there are constant updates, we have to understand what works and what doesn’t. We have a lot of testing over the weekend, which is not a bad thing, quite the opposite. time to understand how they work.

However, Taka does not lose his smile. Nor, above all, confidence: “We never give up and we work hard: I’m a rider, I’m always looking for the limit and the best performance during the weekend. We try to improve, the feeling with the bike is always better”.

Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda