Kunii finished Free Practice 2 in 23rd position, while Hada ended in 27th, using the morning session as a learning platform to adapt their riding styles to the tricky wet surface of the Sachsenring. Despite the challenge, both showed notable improvements heading into Qualifying 1.
In the afternoon session, Kunii delivered a solid performance, adapting quickly and riding with confidence. He missed the access to Q2 by just one position, a sign of real progress and stronger race pace compared to previous rounds. He will start tomorrow’s race from 19th on the grid.
Meanwhile, Taiga Hada continued his adaptation to the bike and team environment in his debut weekend with IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia. Despite the lack of dry track time, he gave it his all and qualified in 26th place, gaining valuable experience in the process.
With the weather forecast still uncertain for Sunday, both riders will prepare to adapt to any conditions and aim to deliver a consistent and competitive performance in what is always a demanding race at the Sachsenring.
Hiroshi Aoyama
⠀ ⠀ ⠀
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Today was a complete contrast to yesterday in terms of weather. We started the day with mixed conditions—partly wet and partly dry in the morning—and then moved into fully wet and cold conditions for the afternoon qualifying session.
Both of our riders gained some experience in the wet. Yuki managed the conditions well, thanks to his previous wet sessions, and came very close to reaching Q2. Unfortunately, a small mistake on his last flying lap kept him out, but overall, he rode well.
For Taiga, it was a brand-new experience. It wasn’t easy for him to find the right feeling with the bike in these conditions, so he struggled a bit today.
In any case, tomorrow is race day, and with the weather still uncertain, we’ll need to be ready for both wet and dry conditions. Hopefully, we get more stable weather, but regardless, we will prepare for every scenario.
Today was a complete contrast to yesterday in terms of weather. We started the day with mixed conditions—partly wet and partly dry in the morning—and then moved into fully wet and cold conditions for the afternoon qualifying session.
Both of our riders gained some experience in the wet. Yuki managed the conditions well, thanks to his previous wet sessions, and came very close to reaching Q2. Unfortunately, a small mistake on his last flying lap kept him out, but overall, he rode well.
For Taiga, it was a brand-new experience. It wasn’t easy for him to find the right feeling with the bike in these conditions, so he struggled a bit today.
In any case, tomorrow is race day, and with the weather still uncertain, we’ll need to be ready for both wet and dry conditions. Hopefully, we get more stable weather, but regardless, we will prepare for every scenario.
Yuki Kunii
92
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Today we finished qualifying, and overall, I’m feeling quite positive. Yesterday I had a good feeling in both dry and mixed conditions, and even though today was wet again, I managed to build on that.
The feeling with the bike is there, and I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. I’m focused now on tomorrow’s race, which is the most important part of the weekend. It will be a long race—25 laps here at Sachsenring—so consistency will be key
I’ll try my best, stay focused, and aim to fight in the group. Let’s see what we can do. Thank you.
Today we finished qualifying, and overall, I’m feeling quite positive. Yesterday I had a good feeling in both dry and mixed conditions, and even though today was wet again, I managed to build on that.
The feeling with the bike is there, and I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. I’m focused now on tomorrow’s race, which is the most important part of the weekend. It will be a long race—25 laps here at Sachsenring—so consistency will be key
I’ll try my best, stay focused, and aim to fight in the group. Let’s see what we can do. Thank you.
Taiga Hada
23
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia
Today was quite a challenging day, especially with the track conditions changing compared to yesterday. In the morning, the feeling with the bike was not too bad, and I was able to get some important laps in. However, in qualifying, the fully wet conditions made it a bit more difficult for me to push with confidence.
It’s still a learning process for me with this team and this bike. I’m trying to absorb as much information as I can from every session and make steady progress. I know where I need to improve, and we’ve seen some useful data that we’ll use to prepare for tomorrow’s race
Thank you to the team for all their support so far. I’m staying motivated and focused, and I’ll do my best in the race.
Today was quite a challenging day, especially with the track conditions changing compared to yesterday. In the morning, the feeling with the bike was not too bad, and I was able to get some important laps in. However, in qualifying, the fully wet conditions made it a bit more difficult for me to push with confidence.
It’s still a learning process for me with this team and this bike. I’m trying to absorb as much information as I can from every session and make steady progress. I know where I need to improve, and we’ve seen some useful data that we’ll use to prepare for tomorrow’s race
Thank you to the team for all their support so far. I’m staying motivated and focused, and I’ll do my best in the race.