FIRST LOOK: Takaaki Nakagami’s 2023 LCR Honda colours

Nakagami has spent his entire MotoGP career with LCR Honda, being confirmed for a sixth season after pressure from young countryman Ai Ogura, title runner-up in Moto2.

While Nakagami advanced from 20th to 13th to 10th during his initial years in MotoGP he badly needs to halt a subsequent slide to 15th and then 18th in the last two seasons.

Like new team-mate Alex Rins’ 2023 livery unveiling earlier today, Nakagami's new colours were presented in the form of a short video centered around 'the power of dreams'.

Nakagami's saw the Japanese dreaming he had gone back in time to 1953 and that the presentation of his 'new bike' was actually a Honda Cub! He then woke up and his real MotoGP livery was unveiled.

"My first 'racing dream' was when I visited the Japanese Grand Prix when I was nine and met my idol Daijiro Kato," Nakagami said. "After that, I realised one day I wanted to be like him. He's my biggest idol even now."

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Hand injuries from a clash with Marc Marquez at Aragon ruled Nakagami out of three rounds towards the end of 2022 and he finished the world championship having broken the top ten on just three occasions.

Aragon was also the scene of Nakagami’s best podium and victory chance to date, the Japanese falling from the lead during the opening lap in 2020, after qualifying on pole position and looking to have an excellent race pace.

Nakagami will ride alongside new team-mate Alex Rins, a former Moto2 rival, this season.

The latest LCR colours will be on track at this weekend's final pre-season test at Portimao.