YSP Racing

In the Yamaha YSP Racing Team’s first-ever MotoGP race, rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga finished the race in 9th place, scoring 7 points. Starting from 11th position on the fourth row of the starting grid on the YZR-M1, Nakasuga moved up one position to 10th place in the first lap. On the second lap, however, he was passed by Nicky Hayden to fall back to 11th place once again, but when Ben Spies ran off the track while in 3rd position, Nakasuga again found himself in 10th position. Down to the last lap Nakasuga continued to chase Hayden closely with the gap varying from 0.3 and 0.5 seconds, at times running faster lap times than his rival. Coming out of the final corner and onto the finish straight Nakasuga used the slipstream to move alongside Hayden as they crossed the finish line, but fell just 0.07 seconds short of passing him. With Cal Clutchrow dropping out of the race in the final lap, Nakasuga managed to score a solid a 9th place finish.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga - Position 9th - Time: +36.794

“I really appreciated this opportunity to compete for the YSP team in MotoGP, the pinnacle of road racing and the competition that all riders dream of racing in. My entry this time was partly as a test rider, so I was glad to get through race weekend without any falls and, although I wasn’t able to pass him, I felt fortunate to complete the race running close behind Nicky Hayden and seeing the performance of one of the top riders in the world. I feel this experience has improved me as a racer. I wasn’t able to reach my goal of finishing 6th or better, but I was able to score a top-ten finish and to run in the 1’47 lap range as I had planned. Now I want to apply the experience I gained here to my racing in Japan’s JSB1000 class series. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to race in such an intense, highly competitive race and for the support I have received from the fans, the YSP team and staff and everyone involved.”

Koji Tsuya, Yamaha YSP Racing Team Supervisor

“During the race some minor machine trouble developed that required some adjustment in Nakasuga’s pace, but he was still able to defend his position in a field of MotoGP regulars, so I’m sure this has been a big confidence boost for him. As a test rider he also gave us some precious data during the race week, and along with his performance in the race, I feel he did a fine job for us. I want to express our thanks to everyone who supported the Yamaha YSP Racing Team and Nakasuga. Thank you all.”

Kazuo Itabashi, Yamaha YSP Racing Team Manager (YSP Members Club Chairman/YSP Narimasu)

“I want to say how grateful we are to have had this opportunity to compete in such a great race as the MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan with Katsuyuki Nakasuga as rider and with the support of Yamaha Motor and Yamaha Motor Marketing, despite the tough conditions in the Japanese motorcycle market these days. This has given us a needed shot of new energy in the midst of a depressed market. And I feel this has been a good stimulus not only for YSP but also for the entire industry. At the same time, having the YSP logo put so prominently on the MotoGP machine that competes at the very highest level of the sport, and to have the team crew on the MotoGP tarmac wearing the same YSP uniforms we use in our daily business, has surely boosted the YSP brand image in front of an international audience. Also, as representative of the YSP Members Club, I want to express our gratitude to all the spectators in the stands today wearing headbands and waving the big YSP flag, and to all Yamaha fans around Japan, to the sponsors and the many other people that have supported us in our race activities. This time, Nakasuga had important responsibilities as a machine development rider, and in a couple of weeks time he will be competing for the title in Japan’s JSB1000 championship, which meant he was in a position where he couldn't afford any falls or injuries. Nonetheless he was able to deliver a fantastic performance in the world’s pinnacle race arena. I want to thank him for the great job of getting 9th place and seven series points. I was truly grateful seeing the way he performed. And, I think this must have been a big boost for his confidence as well. I hope he will go on to win the JSB1000 championship and the entire team staff will be able to celebrate with him.”