Метка: Team LCR

LCR announces Nakagami’s exit from MotoGP after 2024

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


LCR has announced that Takaaki Nakagami will not continue with the squad next year, paving the way for Somkiat Chantra’s move up to MotoGP.

As has been widely expected, 2024 will be the last season in the premier class for Japanese rider Nakagami, who has been a part of the LCR set-up since 2018.

However, he will remain in the Honda family following his departure from MotoGP, bolstering the marque’s test team alongside incumbent Stefan Bradl and incoming Aleix Espargaro.

Unlike Bradl and Espargaro, his role will be based in Japan, but he will also get to take part in select rounds as a wildcard.

Nakagami has tallied up eight seasons of experience in MotoGP, completing over a 100 races during that period, with the highlight being a pole position at Aragon in 2020.

«I’ve decided to end my career as a MotoGP rider at the end of the 2024 season. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the fans who have warmly supported me,» he said.

«I would also like to thank Idemitsu and Honda for their long-term support. From 2025, I will be involved in the development of HRC machines. It is gratifying to make use of my seven years of experience at MotoGP; I’m excited about my new chapter.

«Finally, I want to thank Lucio and the whole LCR because I’ve felt like part of a family, and these years have been incredible with them; they will always be in my heart!»

Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda

Takaaki Nakagami, Team LCR Honda

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Nakagami’s place in the Idemitsu-backed side of the LCR garage is likely to be taken over by Thai rider Chantra, who currently sits 10th in the Moto2 standings with the Honda Asia team.

Chantra has been actively competing in Moto2 since 2019 and has clinched two victories in the class so far, while he also achieved a best finish of sixth in the championship in 2023.

Chantra will be able to bank on the experience of one-time MotoGP race winner Johann Zarco, who will remain with LCR in 2025 after joining the team at the start of this year from Pramac Ducati.

Lucio Cecchinello, LCR team principal said: «It’s not a goodbye, it’s a ‘see you very soon’! Our bond with Nakagami hasn’t finished; it’s just about to be transformed, as we will continue to see him inside the HRC MotoGP developing program.

“The past seven years have been significant for the LCR family. Taka is a great, fast rider and an amazing person, working with him has been an absolute pleasure. His politeness, kindness, and professionalism have meant a lot to all the LCR team members and HRC, and we’ll be forever grateful.

“From now on, his contribution to HRC will be fundamental, and I can’t wait to see him around. The whole MotoGP paddock respects and admires Taka, and this is something that goes beyond everything. Thanks for your job and your time with us, Taka!»



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Zarco not «scared» of losing riding style on Honda like in KTM MotoGP days

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


After four years on Ducati machinery across Avintia and Pramac teams, Zarco has joined LCR in 2024 in a two-year deal signed directly with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

It’s arguably the Frenchman’s biggest career move since he left Tech 3 Yamaha at the end of 2018 to join KTM, a switch that failed spectacularly and led to the pair parting ways even before they had completed their first season together.

But even though the philosophy of the Honda RC213V is vastly different to the Desmosedici he is accustomed to riding, as six-time champion Marc Marquez has found by switching in the opposite direction this year, Zarco is not worried about a repeat of the struggles he faced on the RC16 in 2019.

“I was scared when I moved from the Yamaha to the KTM,” he said. “That’s why I quit KTM, [I was] really worried about losing my skill.

“I don’t have this scare anymore because of what I learned in Ducati. I have so many references for myself that I can see the situation much better.

“Thanks to this I can really split my mind between, ‘where can be the material [bike], where I am and where I can be’.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“It’s a good question but thanks to my age and my experience I know that I can trust the project. And almost, I would say wait [for results], because I have enough experience to not lose this confidence.”

Zarco has been able to mix with factory Honda duo Joan Mir and Luca Marini in the opening two rounds of the season and was even the top representative of the Japanese marque in the Qatar Grand Prix.

However, with Honda having not made as much progress as many had expected it to make over the winter, Zarco and his stablemates have been left to scramble for a spot in the lower reaches of the top 15.

But the 33-year-old feels he at least has a fighting chance against his rivals — and in a field that has closed up since his dreadful 2019 campaign with KTM.

“When I was in KTM I was not even able to fight,” he said. “And when I see now, okay it’s a fight for 13th, 14th or 12th position, but now the level of everyone is so close.

“Even if we fight around the 12th position, [it] means something. So doesn’t mean we are out of the game.

“That’s why it’s really something. I’m happy to do this challenge because I will feel that I will not lose control of myself.”

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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