“Kokubu-san [Shinichi Kokubu, HRC’s Technical Director, pictured above to the right of Kawauchi] has confirmed he can construct a great bike. He was in that very same place once I was there and, in 2012 for instance after we moved to 1000cc, they constructed a powerful bike so Casey [Stoner], Dani [Pedrosa], Cal [Crutchlow] have been all quick. Throughout that point, Nakamoto-san [Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC’s former Vice President] was there and he was very important in holding everybody in the identical path. I hope, as a good friend of each Ken and Kokubu, they will rescue this boat that’s proper now in a storm, in a really troublesome second.”
