Niccolò Antonelli heads to the Far East this weekend ready to experience a completely different country and culture for the first time. As well as discovering the charms of Japan off the track the youngster must also get to grips with the demands of the Twin Ring Motegi circuit but after a positive weekend at Aragon the Team San Carlo Honda Moto3 rider is determined to prove his ability to run with the group again. Japan is the first of three intercontinental flyaway rounds as Niccolò aims to continue his progress before the season finale at Valencia.
Niccolo Antonelli “It was a positive weekend at Aragon even if the weather wasn't the best and we didn't get chance to do the work that we wanted to do. Unfortunately our gear ratio wasn't right for the race and it was a little short in place so that made things difficult in the race although I appreciate how hard it was for the engineers after my crash in warm-up. Anyway, it was a good race for us considering all that because I stayed with the front group and even when I made a couple of mistakes I was able to close the gap back up. That gives me a lot of confidence for the next races. I will need to learn my way around Motegi and work well to find a good setting early on, which will be crucial to qualifying well and having a good race from there. On television the circuit looks really nice with a lot of hard braking and some very tight corners and I can't wait to get out there. I am really excited by the whole trip and it will be fascinating for me to experience a whole new part of the world. ”
Fausto Gresini “Niccolò is constantly growing and he was able to show that again at Aragon where as well as finishing tenth, which is a good result anyway, he finished close behind the winner and showed he has the pace to run with the front group. Everything he showed on track in Spain is a good omen for the future and now he gets to continue this huge learning experience a long way from Europe. The three races in Japan, Malaysia and Australia will take him to new tracks in new countries and the whole experience will be a huge help to his future career.”
Gresini Racing Press Release
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