After completing his first complete season in Moto2 with Italtrans Racing Team in 2012, Takaaki Nakagami finished 15th overall in the standings with 56 points and a best result of 5th place at Jerez.
The Japanese rider wanting to improve his riding style in less than optimum racing conditions spent a week of his off-season vacation towards the end of the year at Kenny Roberts Sr.
fabulous ranch in Modesto, California, learning from the ‘King’ the fine art of controlling a motocross bike along the several dirt short-tracks that the $2.
8 million ranch (it was on sale in 2010) has to offer (even Jorge Lorenzo spent two weeks there in 2007).