Takaaki Nakagami finishes the Sprint in Portimao
Autódromo Internacional do AlgarveIDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami crossed the line 17th on Saturday at the Sprint.
Starting from the 21st spot on the grid, Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami embarked on a challenging comeback race to fight for the Sprint points. Despite the struggles of the four Honda bikes on this track since yesterday's first session, Nakagami and his crew saw some promising signs during the day, giving hope for the Sprint.
Ultimately, the race proved to be demanding, and Nakagami finished 17th.
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco crashed on Sprint.
After a tough qualifying in which he classified 19th, Zarco and the crew were ready to face a tricky Sprint. He admitted having a good feeling aboard his Honda, but unluckily, he lost the bike's front end and ended up on the gravel on the fourth lap. The Frenchman rejoined the race, although he finally had to retire.
We are unsurprised with the result, as we've suffered this weekend. Overall, the four Honda riders are working hard, providing information and ideas, because, on this track, it looks like the gap compared to the rivals is bigger than we expected.
It's a shame that we couldn't finish the race. I felt quite good on the bike, and I overtook some riders immediately after the start of the Sprint. This is part of racing, I lost the front, crashed, and had to enter the pits. We'll analyze all the data to take a step ahead of tomorrow's race.
