Takaaki “Taka” Nakagami has endured a rocky 2022 MotoGP season. Like all Honda riders not named Marc Marquez, the Idamitsu Honda man has struggled with his RC213V this year. After 17 rounds, Nakagami has only finished in the point-scoring positions nine times. He currently resides at 18th place in the championship standings, but his season has been more eventful than those stats portray.
At the 2022 Catalan Grand Prix, Taka became a source of controversy after crashing on the opening lap, collecting Suzuki’s Alex Rin’s and Ducati's championship contender Pecco Bagnaia at the first corner. The Japanese rider didn’t just receive the brunt of the blame, he bore the brunt of the impact, running head-first into Bagnaia’s back wheel.
