Honda presents its sporting programme in Tokyo

The HRC riders flew directly to the Japanese capital from Sepang, where they took part in a spectacular event to mark the start of the season.

The Welcome Plaza headquarters of Honda Motor Company in Tokyo was the setting for the Japanese factory's presentation of its 2011 sporting programme this week, which included national and international activities involving both motorcycling and motorsport.
The three riders on the Repsol Honda team this year, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, flew directly from Sepang for the event, along with Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama. Also present was Gresini Racing Moto2's Yuki Takahashi, who represented the intermediate category riders, the class to which Honda is the official engine supplier.
During the event, at which Honda Motor Company President and CEO Takanobu Ito was present, Dani Pedrosa commented that he was “very satisfied both with the result of the Sepang Test and the condition of my shoulder after the operation this winter”. With regards to his aims for the season, Pedrosa said that “the most important thing is to continue working hard and learning, which is the only way to improve and to get better each year. I hope to be consistent and get good results in every race.”
Dovizioso explained that he was especially motivated because he had “never started a season at such a high level. The times achieved correspond to those normally recorded at the second Test. This demonstrates the intense work carried out by HRC, and all the Honda riders were very fast.”
Australian rider Casey Stoner said he was “very excited to be back at Honda. To form part of the official HRC team is like realising a dream which I've had since I was very young. They have provided me with a package of the highest level, and that fills me with great hope heading into the season”.
Stoner continued: “Logically the main favourite this year is Jorge Lorenzo, the reigning World Champion, but the list of hopefuls this year is very long. Dani is always there, Andrea has improved a lot, you also have to say Simoncelli after the times he set in Sepang. There is Spies, of course Valentino, so there are lots of riders with hopes, we have to wait for the first race to have a clear idea where each of us stand.”