The MotoGP Grand Prix at Motegi in Japan is in the books, with Marc Marquez taking the victory ahead of Jorge Martin, while Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium for Aprilia Racing. Read the teams’ post-race PR below.

 

 

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team conquer the Grand Prix of Japan. Francesco Bagnaia eighth. 

· Ducati celebrates its 100th MotoGP win under Luigi Dall’Igna as Ducati Corse General Manager.

The Ducati Lenovo Team came out victorious in the Grand Prix of Japan with Marc Márquez, who was the absolute star this weekend at the Mobility Resort Motegi. An encouraging performance also for Francesco Bagnaia, who was eighth at the flag.

Márquez retained second place at the start and waited a few laps before applying pressure on Martín. He then overtook his rival on lap 11 and created a small lead, which he managed perfectly up to the finish line. Bagnaia had a very good start from row five and made his way up to ninth position. Pecco, courtesy of a race pace that kept improving throughout the race, managed to finish the encounter in eighth position.

As the sixteenth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez is second in the championship standings with 331 points, only two adrift of the leader. Francesco Bagnaia is ninth with 164 points. The Ducati Lenovo Team is second in the teams’ standings (495 points), while Ducati sits first in the Constructors’ Championship (469 points).

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on Friday, October 9th, for the opening day of the Grand Prix of Indonesia at the Mandalika International Street Circuit.

 

 

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st:

“I’m really happy with the 37 points we were able to score this weekend, because that was the goal. It was a difficult race, especially in the opening laps behind Jorge (Martín). Then, once in the lead, I simply managed my pace and pushed a little harder when he got closer. It’s never easy, but the feeling from the Sprint onwards was very good, and today I was able to be consistent and precise. Now let’s see how things will be in Indonesia but, generally speaking, since Aragón – Austria aside – I am feeling really well with the bike. I’m happy with Gigi’s 100 wins and to have given my little contribution. I’m taking great advantage of everything he’s built with Ducati over the years.”

 

 

 

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 8th: “It was a tough race. We made the most of some crashes ahead of us, but generally speaking I knew that we couldn’t have gone faster than this. I tried to be as consistent as possible and during the race I tried several things to understand if I could make the difference riding-wise in any way. I couldn’t get the bike to decelerate on corner entry and then, on corner exit, I found myself in the wrong place. Often enough I need to hit the brakes ‘stoppie style’, but it’s not something I can do for the whole race because the bike becomes very nervous. The team has really done an excellent job, but we simply couldn’t have done any better this weekend.”

 

 

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager: “The goal for the weekend was to take the win and we managed to do so. Having said that, anything can happen in motorcycle racing, so you can never be fully relaxed, especially when tyre choice is so difficult. We split the workload between our riders during warm-up and managed to understand what the right direction was, even though in some way it was already clear. Marc was simply extraordinary and in these last races he’s doing everything right, so congratulations to him and the whole team. Pecco also did a good job, despite the issues he’s experiencing.”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Double podium for Aprilia Racing in the Japanese GP. 

Aprilia Racing ended the Motegi weekend with a double podium in the Grand Prix. 

Starting from pole position, Jorge Martín maintained a good pace throughout the race to finish second. This is Aprilia Racing’s first-ever top-class podium at Motegi. This result also keeps the Spanish rider at the top of the championship, on 333 points.

Marco Bezzecchi got the start he needed from fourth on the grid, immediately moving into third and holding the position to the finish. This result puts two Aprilia’s RS-GPs on the Japanese GP podium for the first time in the manufacturer’s history. 

Also worth noting are the results of the two SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team riders, Raúl Fernández fifth and Ai Ogura sixth, which meant Aprilia ended Sunday at Motegi with four RS-GP26s in the top six.

 

 

Jorge Martin: “I’m very happy because we’ve done a great job. I rode very well and kept a very strong pace right to the end. I tried to push right up to the final lap, but Márquez had something extra. I feel privileged to be leading the championship while battling Marc. I think it’s incredible, considering where I was a year ago. I’m very happy. Aprilia and I are doing a great job together, and I feel good on the bike. We have everything we need to fight right to the end.” 

 

 

Marco Bezzecchi: “I gave it everything in today’s race and came away with the best possible result. It was a really hard-earned podium, as Bastianini was very quick, especially towards the end. It was tough to keep him behind, but I enjoyed it and I’m happy with the result. I really wanted to make up for what happened yesterday. Since the injury, I’ve had to build up day by day at almost every weekend, while Jorge and Marc have been a little faster. Now I have to close that gap and take my chances when they come.”

 

Massimo Rivola – CEO Aprilia: “An intense weekend in which Aprilia set more records, including Jorge’s pole lap and our first-ever double podium in a race in Japan. Jorge was second on track in both the Grand Prix and the sprint, although an imaginative reading of the regulations cost him a place in the short race. Marco was also very consistent and fast, but unfortunately lost out in the sprint to a pace on the medium that was strangely much slower than in the second free practice session. There was clearly a safety issue in the sprint. Aprilia pushed harder than others to bring it to light, pressing for action to be taken. Those changes then meant every team ran the hard rear, and I think that gave us a wonderful race, run in complete safety. Now we need to keep that focus and keep giving our best.” 

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Sensational late run takes Bastianini to cusp of Motegi podium.

Enea Bastianini posted four successive fastest laps near the close of the Japanese Grand Prix to finish fourth, just 0.078s back of the final podium place, while Maverick Viñales capped an excellent comeback in 14th.

An enthusiastic crowd of 54,717 were present at the Mobility Resort Motegi on Sunday to watch the 24-lap MotoGP race in Japan.

After a red-hot Sprint on Saturday, all MotoGP riders were advised by Michelin to use its harder option rear tyre compound for Sunday, even if no one had tested it on the previous two days. Warm-Up was extended to 20 minutes to give the riders extra testing time on the harder rubber, which was something of an unknown over race distance.

Starting from seventh, his best qualifying position of the year, Bastianini gained a place on lap one before passing Pedro Acosta at Turn 5 the second time around. Alex Marquez’s Long Lap Penalty then saw ‘La Bestia’ rise to fourth.

In that time, the front three of Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi had escaped. However, from midrace, Bastianini started to gain ground. An incredible run from lap 20 to 23, when the Italian set four fastest laps in succession, brought him to within 0.1s of third place. Even if he just missed out, this was Bastianini’s best Grand Prix result of the season, while his gap to the victor – 2.3s – is the smallest of 2026.

Viñales ensured it was a brilliant day for all Tech3. ‘Top Gun’ had risen from 19th to 16th by lap six. The Spaniard was then engaged in an exciting scrap for 14th with Johann Zarco and Somkiat Chantra, which he won to score two points in his first Grand Prix appearance since July.

There is little chance for the team to rest before travelling to the scenic island of Lombok for the Indonesian Grand Prix at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, which runs from 9-11 October.

 

 

Enea Bastianini: “I’m very happy! I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, to be able to ride like that. In Warm-Up it was a bit strange because we tried this hard rear tyre as well as the medium. The hard worked from the first lap so the choice was clear for the race. It was a complicated start as I lost a bit of time overtaking Pedro [Acosta], who wasn’t so fast in that moment. I saw Marc [Marquez], Jorge [Martin] and Marco [Bezzecchi] break clear. But from the middle of the race, I tried to push a bit more each lap. At the end I was faster than them but couldn’t pass. Anyway, I had an incredible feeling and saw the chance of a podium, which was a surprise. We found our speed again after working a lot from Spielberg, where Pedro [Acosta] was much faster than us. Now we’re back at the front, so let’s try and keep this going.”

 

 

 

Maverick Viñales: “I’m happy because I found better feelings with the bike in every session this weekend. Honestly speaking, I expected to struggle much more today. I wasn’t worried about the shoulder but more the forearm. Here it gets really tired with all the heavy braking. But I found some good speed in the middle of the race even if I couldn’t push at my absolute maximum at the very end. Still, I need to push more in the correct place but I feel like I understand the bike much more now. All weekend was positive. Of course, I want to be fighting at the front, but there is a process I need to follow. It takes time to understand this bike and I feel we’re now in a good way. I’m really enthusiastic to get to Mandalika and keep improving.”

 

 

 

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “I’d like to thank the whole Tech3 team for this great weekend, which has been by far the best of the season. We’ve seen a strong Enea Bastianini all through the weekend. To finish P4 in the Sprint and today’s race is a great result. It confirms that once Enea is able to qualify on the first three rows, the whole weekend changes and he’s able to fight at the front. He made another step today and amazed us by beating the race lap record four times in a row. We’ll leave the circuit with the race lap record, which is a great achievement. I’m really delighted and I hope we can carry on this momentum.

“I’d also like to say congratulations to Maverick. We know how tough it is to come back to MotoGP after some time away. Maverick’s target was to complete the whole weekend without making any mistakes and that’s what he’s done. Today the two points he scored are a reward for all his efforts over the past few weeks. Now he’s back again and I’m sure he’ll only get stronger in the last races of the year. Once again, congratulations to all the team. Let’s enjoy this evening before heading to Indonesia next week!”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by KTM:

4th for Bastianini and only fractions of a second from the podium at Japanese MotoGP. 

A demanding and enduring Japanese Grand Prix proved to be another satisfactory round of 2026 MotoGP for Red Bull KTM as Enea Bastianini unveiled his best performance of the season to capture 4th place. The Italian was a whisker from a first podium appearance of the year as all four Red Bull KTM RC16s logged points at the Motegi Mobility Resort. In Moto3™ Alvaro Carpe gunned the title-winning KTM RC4 to 3rd place as 122,000 spectators watched the sixteenth date of the current campaign.

 

Highlights and key moments from race day at Motegi:

• 4th and a series of fastest laps for Enea Bastainini who shines at the super-grippy and hard-braking circuit in Japan. The Italian makes the top four to accompany his speed and P4 from the Sprint on Saturday
• Pedro Acosta finishes 7th and engages in a captivating tussle for the top five
• Brad Binder classifies 11th while Maverick Viñales marks his return to the Red Bull KTM Tech3 pitbox with 14th and two points
• Moto3 podium spoils for Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe who grabs P3 ahead of a strong charge from Brian Uriarte in P4 as Rico Salmela also makes the top five

 

Motegi was overcast and cool for the 26th Grand Prix event to take place at the motorsports facility 150km north of Tokyo. Red Bull KTM lined up for the 24-lap race from 3rd (Pedro Acosta), 7th (Enea Bastianini), 17th (Brad Binder) and 19th (Maverick Viñales) slots on the grid and wary of the abrasiveness of the newly surfaced 14-corner layout that created challenges for tire durability during the Sprint on Saturday.

A confident Bastainini, who had been robbed of a Sprint podium by marginally exceeding track limits on the final lap of the chase yesterday, flew into the top five and had to find a way around Acosta. The Italian moved forwards while Acosta needed time to work temperature into the harder tires. Enea set the four fastest laps of the race with four to go while Acosta had an entertaining scrap with Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura for 5th. Bastianini made a final surge for P3 and missed out by less than a tenth of a second. P4 still represents his best result of the year (the previous highest being two P6s in the USA and the Netherlands). Pedro had to accept a hard-won P7 at the finish.

Brad Binder sliced his way towards the periphery of the top ten and was able to gain 5 points for 11th place. Maverick Viñales edged close to the top fifteen in the first laps. The Spaniard, who had missed the previous four Grands Prix to further recover from his left shoulder problem, persevered and completed the race with 14th.

MotoGP now moves south and to the island of Lombok for the Grand Prix of Indonesia at Mandalika next weekend.

 

Enea Bastianini, 4th and 11th in the championship: “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time! To be able to ride like that. The morning was a bit strange because we did not expect the hard to work quite good from the first lap and it was clear it was the choice for the race. I lost some time at the start to overtake Pedro but from the middle of the race until the end I always tried to push a bit more. I had an incredible feeling and saw the chance for the podium. I didn’t overtake Marco for 3rd but…it’s OK.”

 

 

 

Pedro Acosta, 7th and 4th in the championship: “Tough one…and it feels like we haven’t had a tough one in a while! It looks like we didn’t match the bike with the tires. I don’t know why we struggled but I had difficulty stopping the bike and then also in the drive area, otherwise the bike was normal and good. Anyway. P7 is not a disaster. It was not our day…but I am happy to see another KTM bringing home a P4 and we can have some data to check.”

 

Brad Binder, 11th and 13th in the championship: “Much better than yesterday. The physio did a great job on me and I felt more human! We did the warm-up on the hard tire and straight out of the pits I thought ‘this thing is not bad…’. It was pretty good. The race was quite OK. We toned everything down to preserve the tire but, in the end, I think we could have done more distance on it. The best I could do today was 11th. Not a great Japan, and we were expecting better but I think I ruined it a bit when I threw myself down the road in Q1. It made the rest of the weekend more challenging. Onto the next one.”

 

Maverick Viñales, 14th and 22nd in the championship: “I’m happy this weekend because I found better feelings from the bike with every session. I still need to push more and in the correct place but I understand the bike a lot more. I’m really enthusiastic to get to Mandalika and keep improving. I expected to struggle more today. I was not worried about the shoulder but more the arms; here they get very tired with the heavy braking. It was good training! I found some good speed in the middle of the race. We are in a good way.”

 

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Enea’s performance yesterday, today and at the end of the race was amazing but it was a tough day today. Our expectations were much higher with Pedro because we’d seen his speed early in the weekend and after the bad luck of the Sprint we were hoping for the podium but unfortunately we couldn’t make it and now we need to analyze why. In any case we have all four riders in the points. We showed we have the potential. We just need to put all the things together for Indonesia.”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing:

Fermin Aldeguer comes back strong in Japan, Alex Marquez’s weekend to forget.

 

• RACEDAY

ALEX MARQUEZ NC

FERMIN ALDEGUER 9º 

 

• WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

ALEX MARQUEZ 9º (158)

FERMIN ALDEGUER 10º (122)

 

• TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

BK8 GRESINI RACING 5º (289)

 

 

 

Alex Marquez:“It was a weekend full of mistakes and one that needs to be forgotten quickly. I made two mistakes again today, one of them unforgivable in the warm-up and then another one in the race. I’m angry with myself, but fortunately we’ll be back on track again in just a few days. We were fast today, not quite fast enough to fight for the podium, but without the penalty we probably would have stayed inside the top five.”

 

 

 

Fermin Aldeguer:“I felt good today, maybe even better than yesterday. From fifth place onwards, we were lapping at pretty much the same pace, which is definitely a positive. Riding like that helps put the mistakes we made over the weekend behind us. We gained several positions and were fast. Physically, I’ve improved day by day, so we’re heading to Indonesia hoping to keep progressing and have a good weekend. I have great memories from there last year…”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC:

Retro-liveried Honda HRC Castrol produce solid home points. 

Japanese GP fans were transported back to 1966 as The Dream. The Challenge. came alive, Luca Marini racing the classic colours to top Honda honours while Somkiat Chantra impressed and matched his best ever Premier Class result.

Adorned with the colours of Honda’s first premier class machine, the RC181, Luca Marini and Somkiat Chantra were as determined as ever to deliver their best in front of Honda HRC staff and the Japanese fans. An extended Warm Up due to the withdrawal of the soft rear tyre gave the Honda HRC Castrol team an extra opportunity to experiment before the 24-lap race.

Wearing a special helmet to accompany the livery, Luca Marini made another rapid start to the race to immediately jump into the battle for the top ten positions. As has become his trademark, consistency saw Marini hold position as those around him faltered. An intense battle with Brad Binder punctuated the final laps of Marini’s Japanese GP, the Honda rider working hard to keep the South African behind. Tenth place in the race saw the #10 cross the line as the first Honda rider and end a complicated weekend on a more positive note than it began.

Somkiat Chantra was again able to make another step in his rapid reintroduction to the Honda RC213V. More aggressive when the lights went out than Saturday, the WorldSBK regular was able to stay in the battle with Viñales and the VR46 duo – besting all three of them in an impressive manner. The final laps of the Japanese GP saw Chantra chase down Fabio Quartararo for 12th place, finishing barely half a second shy of the former World Champion after 24-laps. 13th equals Chantra’s best finish in a Grand Prix from 2025, highlighting the fantastic work done by him and the team over the weekend.

The Indonesian Grand Prix is now right around the corner, the Honda HRC Castrol squad heading to Mandalika immediately after the race to begin Round 17. One of Luca Marini’s favourite circuits, watch out for the #10 next weekend.

 

 

 

Luca Marini: “Our weekend did not start in the best way so ending with a tenth place allows us to head to Mandalika with at least a bit of a smile. It was not an amazing race, but when we think about how the weekend started, it shows that the team are working well to recover our situation. More points on the board as we look to a circuit, Mandalika, I enjoy a lot and a track where the bike has worked at well in the past. Certainly, the highlight of the weekend was the beautiful colours we had on the bike today, it was very special to wear them.”

 

 

 

Somkiat Chantra: “I am so happy with how this whole weekend has gone. When I compared it to my feeling from last year, the difference is so much and to already match my best result in MotoGP after one weekend with the Honda HRC Castrol team shows how well we were working together. Already when I arrived already on Friday the setup of the bike was so good and today I started better than Saturday and it was the first time like I felt I could fight on the bike, I was pushing until the end to catch Fabio but I just missed it. Thank you to everyone who helped me this weekend, I really appreciate the faith that Honda HRC put in me, and I am so happy to give them this result.”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

Quartararo 12th & Rins 16th as Yamaha Complete Home GP at Motegi. 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP concluded Yamaha’s home round at Mobility Resort Motegi with Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins finishing 12th and 16th respectively in Sunday’s 24-lap Grand Prix of Japan.

 

 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins wrapped up a challenging MotoGP home race for Yamaha at the Mobility Resort Motegi taking P12 and P16 in the 24-lap Grand Prix of Japan.

Quartararo started from P12 and fell back to 16th after the first three laps. He gained two positions on lap 5 due to Johann Zarco’s double long-lap penalty and Fabio Di Giannantonio losing ground. The number 20 gained another place when Diogo Moreira retired from the race on lap 9. From that moment on, Quartararo circulated in P13, but following Álex Márquez’s crash on lap 19 crossed the finish line in P12, 30.867s from the winner.

Rins commenced the race from P21 and after battling with the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders on the opening lap found himself in P22. The fight between the three Yamaha riders took several laps to settle, with Rins taking P20 by lap 11. In the end, he wrapped up the race in P16, benefiting from Álex Márquez’s and Zarco’s crash and making late overtakes on Di Giannantonio and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu on the final lap. He took the chequered flag 39.228s from first place.

After today’s Race, Quartararo remains 15th in the championship standings with 66 points, while Rins stays 20th with 24 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 10th in the team classification with 90 points, and Yamaha hold 5th place in the constructor standings with 89 points.

The team now turns their attention to next week’s Grand Prix of Indonesia at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.

 

 

 

Fabio Quartararo: “It was difficult because from lap 7 onwards I had a fuel issue. So, it was not the best. I could have gone much faster, but I had to take a lot of care with the throttle. I am happy with my riding, though, and that’s the most important thing. P12 was more or less where I expected to be in this race. I think I maybe could have been in front of Brad [Binder] and Luca [Marini], but sometimes these things are part of racing.”

 

 

 

Alex Rins: “It wasn’t a very eventful race for us. We always give it our best at every track. Today it was a bit of a question mark, riding with the hard rear tyre. In Warm Up it was not bad, and in the Race it gave more performance than the medium – which was a bit surprising. We completed the race, trying to save tyre. On the last lap, I could overtake [Fabio] Di Giannantonio and Toprak [Razgatlıoğlu] to take P16, which was the best we could do today.”

 

Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “This was a difficult race. Fabio fought hard after losing positions in the opening laps, but he had to control the fuel consumption for most of the race. Despite that, he managed the situation as well as possible to take P12. Álex also kept pushing throughout the race and gained several positions, finishing in P16 despite starting from near the back of the grid. We now go straight to Indonesia, which gives us an immediate opportunity to crosscheck our findings of this weekend at a different type of circuit.”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by VR46 Team:

Franco Morbidelli is fifteenth and gets a point, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was affected from a far from ideal physical form after yesterday’s crash, and finishes the Motegi race in eighteenth place.

The MotoGP Overseas didn’t kick off in the best way possible for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, which ended the Japanese GP in a bittersweet way. It was a challenging Sunday for Franco Morbidelli, who was fifteenth and got one point. Fabio Di Giannantonio had a more complicated race due to a far from ideal physical condition and crossed the finish line in eighteenth place.

Morbidelli started from the fifth row and lost three places in the opening lap, starting to bounce back in Motegi race. Franco got more and more confidence lap by lap and was able to recover some ground. The Italian-Brazilian rider crossed the finish line of the Japanese GP in fifteenth place and got one point. Morbidelli is now sixteenth in the World Standing with 57 points.

Di Giannantonio had a difficult start from the second row, losing five places in the opening lap. Fabio was worn out after yesterday’s crash in the Sprint and could not express his potential in Motegi race, in which he struggled to keep the pace. The rider from Rome lost ground throughout the race, but he was able to defend despite the difficulties, crossing the finish line in eighteenth place. Di Giannantonio is now sixth in the World Standing with 230 points.

The Japanese GP ended with an attendance record of 121,997 spectators, and now the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team flies to Mandalika, where the Indonesian GP will take place next weekend: it’s the third home race for the Team after the Italian ones, and the Tavullia-based squad will reveal a surprise on Tuesday 6^th October in Jakarta.

 

 

Fabio Di Giannantonio: “I am not in a great shape, I was expecting to be better after tonight. But this morning I struggled to be naturally at ease on the bike, especially on the right side, where I got hit yesterday. The pain is still there both in the ribs and in the hip. I was struggling even to do the classical moves, so the race was tough. Now, we must recover as fast as we can, it won’t be easy with this strict Overseas schedule. But we’ll do the maximum to be closer to the top shape in Mandalika, which is a very important race for the team. We will do our best in front of the Indonesian fans, it’s a kind of home race for the Team.”

 

 

 

Franco Morbidelli: “The day started in a complicated way because we had to make a three-days schedule work in twenty minutes to change everything with the tyres to use and arriving to the race with things okay. In some ways, we did it and Sunday was quite good. The feeling in the race was not the one I was expecting, but then it improved from the second half of the race and I could do fast laps. Now we focus right away on Mandalika race, which is very important for us as one of the home race GP for the Team.”

 

Pablo Nieto: “Of course, this is not the result we were aiming for at the start of the Overseas. Fabio made a strong start to the weekend and, if it hadn’t been for yesterday’s crash, he had the potential to fight for a podium. The accident changed everything and prevented him to get some points, and he was worn out in today’s race. Now, it’s important for him to recover physically for next week in Mandalika, which is one of our home races. As for Franco, it wasn’t an easy weekend for him either, after missing Q2 for a little time both Friday and Saturday. However, both in the Sprint and today, the last laps were interesting, so we must keep working to complete a good race from the start to the end.”

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP looks to leave a difficult Motegi weekend behind.

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP endured another challenging race at the Twin Ring Motegi, with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Jack Miller finishing 17th and 19th respectively after a difficult weekend from the opening sessions.

 

 

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP brought a difficult Japanese Grand Prix to a close at the Twin Ring Motegi, with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Jack Miller unable to turn their race pace into the result they had been hoping for. After struggling to find the right balance throughout practice, qualifying and Saturday‘s Sprint, both riders faced another demanding race and were unable to fight for the positions they had been targeting.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu once again showed that his race pace was stronger than his starting position suggested, but starting from 22nd made any recovery extremely difficult. The Turkish rider made progress during the race but also made a mistake that cost him several positions, forcing him to restart his recovery. Despite maintaining a competitive pace, he was unable to make up enough ground and eventually finished 17th.

Jack Miller spent much of the race fighting with his teammate, remaining close to Razgatlıoğlu until the 20th lap. The Australian then made a mistake that resulted in a crash. He was able to rejoin the race and complete the final laps, crossing the finish line in 19th and last position, more than 20 seconds behind the rider ahead.

The Japanese Grand Prix was therefore a weekend the team will be keen to put behind it, but the data and experience gathered throughout the three days will now be analysed as part of the ongoing development of the YZR-M1. Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP will now turn its attention to the next round of the championship, next week in Mandalika, Indonesia with the objective of making a positive step forward.

 

 

 

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “I had the same problem again with the tyres and with stopping the bike. In the first six laps I was struggling a lot, but then I found a better rhythm and started to do 1:44s. The pace was much better, but it was still difficult because I was always riding close to the limit and pushing hard to stop the bike.
I can see that Fabio is able to stop the bike more easily because he has much more experience with the Yamaha. I‘m still learning how to use the front and rear tyres together under braking, and this is an area where I need to improve. When I can stop the bike properly at the right point, I know I can make a big step in lap time. The positive thing is that I was improving lap by lap during the race, so I‘m learning more every time I ride.
Today was better than yesterday, but I still need to find a way to ride the bike more comfortably and with more confidence. We are not fighting for the positions we want, but the important thing for me is to understand what I can improve.
I really enjoyed the track this weekend. It was my first time riding here, and before this I had only experienced Motegi on the video game, so it was great finally to ride a MotoGP bike here. I enjoyed learning the circuit, even if the race itself was difficult.” 

 

 

 

Jack Miller: “I started the race reasonably well, but immediately I was struggling with the tyre pressure and locking the front a lot. The bike became quite difficult to ride, and I was losing time because I couldn‘t brake the way I wanted. The frustrating thing is that this morning, with the same front tyre from the Sprint and the new hard rear, I could run 1:44s all day and did my best lap at the end in 1:44.1. In the race, I couldn‘t get close to that pace and was stuck around the 1:45s.
The biggest thing we need to improve is the consistency between the sessions and the race. We need to understand how to manage the tyre better, especially when starting from so far back and riding in traffic, because the pressure builds up very quickly. Even after the crash, the last few laps were actually the best the bike had felt all race, when the tyres had settled down again.
The positive is that we learned a lot about the hard rear today. We had been unsure about it because historically it hasn‘t always been the best option, but this morning it worked really well and gave us strong pace. That is useful information for the next races, and hopefully we can make the most of the same casing in Mandalika.
The last couple of races have been challenging for us, but we‘ll keep working and stay positive. We know there are areas where we need to make a big step, particularly in the way we use and load the tyres, and that‘s what we‘ll focus on.”

 

Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “It is clear that this was another difficult weekend for both riders. The main positive from today is that Toprak was able to find a really interesting race pace, not too far from Quartararo‘s, despite Fabio starting much further ahead.
Once again, Toprak was able to make a step forward during the race, and that is something positive we can take from today. The priority now is to become more competitive from the first day of the weekend, so that both riders can start further forward and we can have a more consistent race pace from the beginning. That is the area we need to focus on and improve as we move towards the end of the season.” 

 

 

 

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More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR: