FIRST LOOK: Takaaki Nakagami’s 2024 Idemitsu LCR Honda livery

This is the 2024 MotoGP race livery to be used by Takaaki Nakagami during his seventh season with the Idemitsu LCR Honda team.

The Japanese, 32, has thus been with HRC from its record-breaking 2019 season with Marc Marquez, through to its current bottom of the constructors’ table slump, including winless seasons in 2020 and 2022.

Nakagami’s own career progressed to tenth overall, and a pair of fourth places, in 2020, before slipping back to 15th and then 18th for the past two seasons.

However, Nakagami was an equal match for team-mate Alex Marquez in 2022, who then switched to Gresini Ducati and took sprint wins and podiums last year.

Nakagami, the only full-time Honda rider uninjured at one stage last season, feels HRC is finally making progress with its RC213V, praising the latest engine and qualifying performance.

But he also warned that rear grip remains a key weakness.

"I'm super excited to start another season with Idemitsu and LCR," Nakagami said. "It's my seventh season, I've got a lot of experience with Honda's bike and LCR. We know each other well.

"I think my strong point is that I can help HRC with development, by feeling and explaining the differences on the bike.

"My target for this season is to win my first race."

The final pre-season test takes place in Qatar on February 19-20.