After missing five rounds of the season with a fractured vertebra, Interwetten Honda’s Hiroshi Aoyama finished an impressive 12th on his return to MotoGP action at Indianapolis.
All the riders suffered in 35ºC heat at the Brickyard last weekend, but the 28-year-old also had to cope with competing with fewer track miles than his rivals while being careful not to reinjure himself and bring back the spine problem he suffered after crashing in the warm-up at Silverstone in June.
“In the conditions here at Indy, it was quite hard to finish the 28 laps,” Aoyama said. “I had to fight on every single lap. I was able to stay with the other riders, but didn't want to take any risks.
'I’m sure we can be better when I’m 100 per cent fit again' – Hiroshi Aoyama
“I had to find a compromise between not pushing beyond my limit and still having a good race. I’m sure we can be better when I’m 100 per cent fit again, and I’m looking forward to that a lot.”
The Japanese rider will hope for a more comfortable race and perhaps some points when the MotoGP bandwagon rolls into Misano this weekend for the Sammarinese Grand Prix, something his Interwetten team boss Daniel M Epp thinks is within his grasp.
“Hiro did a good job [at Indianapolis] this weekend,” Epp commented. “He was able to race the whole distance.
“Of course he needs more time to be fully fit again and physically more confident. He already showed in qualifying with his fast laptimes that he is on the right path. The team hit its target this weekend, and I am looking forward to continuing in the same direction in Misano.”
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