Honda's three World Championship leaders - Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500), Daijiro Katoh (Telefonica Movistar Honda NSR250) and Toni Elias (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team Honda NSR125) - jet to Japan this week to contest one of the most important events of the 2001 Grand Prix season. Sunday's Pacific GP commences the last quarter of the 16-race campaign, is the first of a punishing run of three back-to-back 'flyaway' GPs and is the second event of the year to be staged in Japan, home of Honda and epicentre of the global motorcycle industry.

These three factors all add an extra element of challenge that Rossi, Katoh and Elias must take in their stride if they are to fulfil their World Championship dreams. After racing at Motegi they head south for the following weekend's Australian GP, then back to Asia for the Malaysian GP on the next Sunday. After one weekend's rest they cross the globe once again, heading to South America for the season-ending Rio GP on November 3.

The stresses and strains of racing on four out of five weekends in very different time zones should not be underestimated, and of course they affect the riders' back-up crews as much as the riders themselves. As Rossi's crew chief Jerry Burgess explains: "Having the last four races in just five weeks is going to be extremely hard work for all and sundry. And conditions can be very different at all of those four races, so nothing will be easy."

And yet Burgess is quietly confident that Rossi has done enough work to take them through this most testing of times. The young Italian, already a 125 and 250 World Champion, has won seven GPs this year to head arch-rival Max Biaggi (Yamaha) by 42 points. With a total of 100 points still available, the title is far from won, but Rossi's supreme form throughout 2001 has given him the kind of advantage that allows him to approach the last four races without excessive pressure on his shoulders.

"The plan was to go out of Europe into these last few races with the best-possible points gap," adds Burgess. "No one can go on holiday just yet but it will be very difficult for anyone to take 42 points out of us in four races. Then again, I've seen it all before, I've seen people lose big leads at the last race of a championship and I've seen people lose big leads on the last lap of a race."

The turning point of the 2001 season came at August's Czech GP where Biaggi crashed, turning Ross's ten-point lead into a 29-point advantage. "We'd had two disasters, at Mugello and Sachsenring, and we went to Brno to put some pressure on Max," Burgess continues. "We expected to come away from there with a five point advantage, or maybe a five point deficit, so coming away with a 29 point lead was a bonus. But Valentino worked very hard to put that kind of pressure on Max."

Rossi's superb record means that he goes into Sunday's Pacific GP in a relaxed frame of mind, up to a point. "I am not the biggest fan of the Motegi track and the main concern there is the weather, it can be very changeable and that can make things difficult for everyone," says the 22-year old. "Last year I got second at Motegi, just beating Biaggi after a long battle even though I got a bad start. The Honda works quite well at this track - last time my bike was better through the fast sections, though Biaggi's bike seemed to have an advantage in the slow turns. However, this year we know much more and the bike has improved, so I think we can have a
good race."

Motegi will also be an important event for Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who is chasing Biaggi for runner-up spot in the 500 World Championship. The Italian, another former 125 and 250 king, is currently 36 points adrift and determined to make up the difference over the last four races. "It won't be easy but I will give everything I have to this fight," says Capirossi, who only managed eighth at last year's Pacific GP. "I qualified third quickest and was very confident for the race but we had a few problems in the early laps and that destroyed my chances. This year will be better, I'm sure."

While Capirossi has his eye on Biaggi, he must also watch his back, for team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) is only 20 points behind. The Brazilian put a run of poor result behind him with a brave ride to second in the damp at Valencia two weeks ago and is fired up for another good result at Motegi. "Racing in Japan is always a bit special because all the factory bosses are watching, but more than anything I want a good result to help my championship position," says Barros, one of only four men to have won a 500 GP this season. "Last year I didn't have such a good ride at Motegi but Valencia has given me the confidence I need for this run of races leading up to my home GP at Rio."

While Barros aims to maintain his momentum this weekend, Alex Crivillé (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) wants to get back in the results after an unlucky day at Valencia. The former World Champion was battling for the lead when he got pushed off the dry line and fell. "I could've won that race but it didn't work out for me," says the Spaniard. "Now we have four races left and I want to focus on achieving the best-possible results. We have been very close at some races this year, we just need things to come together on the day, and that's what we'll be working for at Motegi."

Crivillé's team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) makes his 500 debut at Motegi this weekend. "I think it'll be quite tough," says the former All-Japan 250 champ who raced 250s at the 1999 and 2000 Motegi GPs, taking second and fifth-place finishes. "People say it's a simple circuit but I don't agree, I think it's difficult. Although the character is quite stop-and-go, a lot of the corners are quite close to each other, so they are related. If you make a mistake at one turn, it will affect your line into the next corner and so on."

So far this year Ukawa has scored one podium finish (in South Africa) and one front-row start (in Portugal) and he's ultra keen to go well in front of his home fans. "I feel my 500 riding is coming better," he adds. "I started the season in good form, feeling strong, but the middle of the season was much tougher. I had a few crashes and lost some confidence. Now my feeling is coming better, I can now spin the rear tyre with confidence, and I couldn't do that at the start of the year."

Daijiro Katoh (Telefonica Movistar Honda NSR250) shares Ukawa's hopes of a great result in front of his Japanese supporters and has every reason to be confident of another win. Katoh won last year's Motegi GP, beating long-time rival Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) after a hugely tense race during
which both men repeatedly broke the lap record. Nakano was so overcome by his defeat that he shed tears afterwards.

"I expect this year's race to be just as tough," says Katoh, winner of eight GPs so far this year and currently heading Tetsuya Harada (Aprilia) by 49 points. "My bike and my team is very strong but there are many other good riders who will be keen to beat me at Motegi. Of course, I must think about points and the championship, but my goal is the same as always - to win the race."

Emilio Alzamora (Telefonica Movistar Honda NSR250) needs points even more than his team-mate. The Spaniard holds sixth in the 250 World Championship, 17 points behind compatriot Fonsi Nieto (Aprilia) and seven ahead of Jeremy McWilliams (Aprilia). "I want to improve my position to fifth, if at all possible," says Alzamora, currently going well in the late stages of his second 250 season. "Motegi will be a tough weekend for me - I've never been there on a 250 - plus there's all the Japanese wild cards to deal with."

Teenager Toni Elias (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team Honda RSR125) is another man who will be concerned with local wild card riders this weekend. The dazzling 18-year old holds a slender eight point advantage over Manuel Poggiali (Gilera) and thus needs every point he can get as he fights to overcome the factory Gilera, Derbi and Aprilia teams.

"We are a private team, so racing against factory teams is always going to be difficult," he says. "They have bigger resources than us but the main thing is that our team continues to give everything it has got to level things out. We are on a good run at the moment but the championship is so close. All I can do is keep my head down and fight for every point I can get. Motegi will be tough, there'll be a lot of Japanese wild cards on fast bikes and my aim will be to beat as many guys as possible."

Japanese favourites Masao Azuma (Liégeois Competition Honda RS125) and Noboru Ueda (Technical Sports Racing Honda TSR125) are both out of the title running but capable of rousing performances on Sunday. Azuma, winner of this year's Japanese and Spanish GPs, and Ueda, winner in Italy, currently hold seventh and ninth overall. "The title is gone but I still want to prove I can win races," says Azuma, who took fifth at Motegi 2000. "And there'd be no better place to do that than Japan, just like I did at Suzuka in April."

Twin Ring Motegi, so called because it combines both GP and Indy tracks, was constructed by Honda to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary in 1998. The circuit, situated in hills to the north west of Tokyo, is one of the world's most impressive motorsport complexes and also features Honda's world-famous museum.