Lack of midcorner grip costing Kent

A lack of turn-in cost Danny Kent on the opening day of practice at Motegi but the Moto3 championship leader wasn’t too concerned about it affecting the rest of his weekend. Having had such a strong season the Leopard Racing rider has complete belief in his crew that they’ll be able to find a solution when it matters over the rest of the weekend.

“The entry to the corner is OK but the bike just doesn’t want to keep turning and it wants to keep running wide,” assessed Kent. “The corner entry is alright but as soon as I get on the gas the bike just runs wide and I’m trying to get the bike to turn and the rear just comes around and slides. We’ll have a look at the data and try and find a solution but I’m not too worried because my crew has worked so well this year to find solutions to any problems we’ve had. I’m down in 13th but I’m certain that we’ll find that improvement and get towards the front. “

With a 55 point lead in the championship Kent can wrap up the title if results play into his favour on Sunday but he’s doing his best to park any thoughts about the championship and is instead focussed on being in the best position possible for a strong result in the race.

“I’ve not been thinking about the championship this weekend. I’ve just been trying to focus on my race pace and getting ready for Sunday. What will be will be as far as the championship is concerned so I’ll just try and get ready for the race.”