Red Bull Tech3 team boss Herve Poncharal is hoping lead rider Miguel Oliveira is in better shape for this weekend's Motegi MotoGP round as it is the physical, not technical, problems that are holding him back.
Oliveira is still suffering from a shoulder injury suffered at Silverstone when he was nerfed off by Johann Zarco but Poncharal believes the extra two weeks of recovery times should see a more favourable outcome in Japan.
Right now, the bike is improving a lot, Miguel’s feeling with it is more and more positive race after race," said the Frenchman.
"The main struggle we have is not technical, it’s physical, because clearly since the Silverstone incident, Miguel has been suffering with the shoulder.
There are some circuits where the pain is less than others, but obviously in Thailand that didn’t help the last third of the race. We believe, of course that two weeks will be helping further recovery.
"It is a circuit, that suits quite well both, the KTM and Miguel’s riding style, I believe. We are just keen to be there. We hope we have stable weather, because Motegi in October is not always easy.
"Clearly, it will be cooler than what we experienced in the previous round in Thailand. More than that, Japan is the country of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers in the world and if there is a place you want to shine, this is Japan."
