Monsoons at Motegi…. MotoGP preview/schedule

MotoGP 2022 – Round 16 – Motegi

The headlines overflowed at MotorLand Aragon and now the MotoGP riders have flown to Japan and are transitting to Motegi for the first time since 2019.

The riders will arrive, but as to the full complement of MotoGP containers with all their motorcycles and spares, that is another question…

Friday morning practice had already been cancelled well in advance, over freight fears, and there is talk that Friday track action could end up being cancelled altogether if enough equipment fails to arrive in time. The schedule as it sits now is at the end of this page, with times in AEST.

A tropical monsoon is touching down in Japan this weekend and the forecast is for thunderstorms, rain and humidity, however things are forecast to start getting better come race day, fingers crossed…

The first stop-off of four races in the Asia Pacific region, the Motegi circuit is a track that has hard braking areas and big acceleration zones, all on an above average abrasive surface.

The layout of the 4,801m circuit features four distinct straights meaning a lot of time is spent on the centre of the tyre, but due to a limited number of fast, flowing corners there is not as much stress placed on the rear tyres than at some other tracks.

Fabio Quartararo now has only ten points in hand at the top of the table, but it was through no fault of his own and he’ll be more eager than ever to push to extend it again. He also arrives knowing that his last performance at Motegi, vs Marquez, was one of those that cemented his growing legend.

Fabio Quartararo

“First of all, I want to thank the fans for all their well wishes. I‘m doing better. The abrasions are healing. It‘s not going to be easy, but I‘m trying my best to be fully fit for the race here and fight for the victory. I‘m always pushing at 100 per cent regardless of where we‘re racing or what the circumstances are, so that‘s something I will also do this weekend.”

Elsewhere at the Iwata marque there remains plenty to talk about. Cal Crutchlow (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP) was the first Yamaha home after that bad luck for Quartararo, and the Brit has therefore contributed Constructors’ points already – no mean feat as El Diablo was the scorer until Sunday. Crutchlow has plenty experience at the venue too.

Cal Crutchlow

“It will be good to go back to Motegi after three years I haven’t been racing there. Motegi is a circuit, that I like. I like to go to Japan in general, so it will be great for the MotoGP paddock to go back. After the race in Aragon I look forward to get back on track this weekend and hopefully we can have another positive weekend. We’ve made a good step from the start of the Aragon weekend and hopefully this time, we can make another one. I’m looking forward to get there.”

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After the dust settled at MotorLand, we were left with even more questions about Marquez as the number 93 failed to make it out of Q1 due to yellow flags, and then failed to make it far into the race with that bad luck. Where would he have finished?

There remain some cards close to the Repsol Honda rider’s chest and home turf for the factory is an interesting place to have to play them. As a true veteran now, Marquez knows the track better than everyone on the grid – so what can we expect?

Marc Marquez

“I am really excited to come back to Japan, it is Honda’s home race, it’s a fun circuit and the fans are always incredible. In Motegi you can get all kinds of weather so we will have to pay attention to what is happening. Also with the change in schedule it will be a very intense two and a half days, but I am feeling good physically after Aragon. Let’s enjoy a weekend back in Japan and keep working in our way to a full recovery and the development of the bike.”

2022 will see Pol Espargaro makes his Japanese GP debut as a Honda rider. The #44 has enjoyed consistent point scoring results at the 4.8 kilometer long circuit which has included three podiums in the light and middleweight classes, including a victory in 2013. Espargaro remains resolute in his determination to end the season on a high and the unique character of Motegi presents an opportunity to see if he and the RC213V can make further improvements.

Pol Espargaro

“We had a hard weekend in Aragon but heading to Honda’s home, seeing the factory and being reunited with the Japanese fans gives us an extra boost for sure. The atmosphere is always incredible in Japan so I want to keep working hard to put on a good show for everyone who supports us. For me it’s also a special track because in 2013 I won my Moto2 World Championship there. Let’s make more good memories there this year.”

Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, Motegi has always been a good track and the number 73 has multiple wins in the smaller classes. But he’s also riding it for the first time in MotoGP, as are many on the grid, so it will be an interesting one.

There is also plenty on the line for Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) as he even races a race to fitness. Getting caught up in that early race crash has left him with an injured hand and he’ll need to pass a medical – but he also has some serious experience at Motegi. What can he do on home turf?

There will be home representation too for Tetsuta Nagashima as he wildcards with HRC, and Takuya Tsuda will be replacing Joan Mir at Team Suzuki Ecstar as they face a bittersweet final weekend on home turf and Alex Rins looks to add another podium.

Alex Rins

“It’s a bittersweet feeling to return to Japan, I love riding here and visiting this great country, the fans have always been super supportive, but it will be a sad and strange feeling to know it’s my last time here with the Suzuki. However, I would love to relive the happy memories I have from my podium here, and I will give everything to have a great result for the people who work with me, and for the people who cheer me on.”

Meanwhile, Ducati march on. After the duel at Misano, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) did it again at MotorLand for another spectacular finish, and this time with Bastianini on top. But Motegi could be a different story as the ‘Beast’ rides the track for the first time in MotoGP, and Bagnaia has only one outing in the premier class under his belt at the venue. That’s also true of Quartararo, but the two had very different races. How will that ten-point gap look this Sunday?

Elsewhere at the Borgo Panigale factory there are plenty of talking points as well. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) has solid experience of Motegi, and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) too but not with Ducati.

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) will be heading in to taste the track for the first time in the premier class, as will Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team).

After a longer stint off the podium and watching that gap grow, MotorLand saw a return to the rostrum for Aleix Espargaro and after a weekend of ups and downs, too. That seems a statement of intent from the number 41 as he pulled it out the bag when needed on race day, and he’s back to within 17 points of those ahead. Will the lesser experience for everyone on the grid also play into their hands? The RS-GP is a newer bike, and Motegi leaves everyone in need of data on the machinery they return with.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) will also hope so, although the number 12 was caught up in avoiding that early race incident, he’ll most definitely want more from Japan after his recent podium pace took a dip.

KTM will be interesting to watch, too. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) put in a stunner at Aragon to come home fourth, and he held third for much of the race. That’s their best result since team-mate Miguel Oliveira won in Indonesia, and they’ll want to back it up.

Oliveira has ridden Motegi in the premier class and Binder hasn’t, but there could be some opportunity on the horizon again as returning to the track for the first time since 2019 promises a shuffle. Can the Mattighofen factory fight for the podium again?

Rookies Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez will hit Motegi for the first time on a MotoGP bike. Coming out from a rather positive weekend in Aragon MotorLand, both will be eager to fight for points this weekend.

Remy Gardner

“It has been a while since we have not been racing to Japan so I definitely look forward to heading to Motegi and trying the KTM RC16 on this layout. I hope that we will have a good weekend.”

Raul Fernandez

“I am really happy to head to Japan because we have not raced there since 2019. I remember that it was a nice track and I think that it will feel like a new one for many of us. It can be interesting for us and I think that we will be competitive and have a good week. After the positives from Misano and Aragon, I am going to Motegi with a lot of motivation.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Tech3 KTM Factory Racing has safely travelled to Motegi. Luckily the typhoon that hit the south-east coast of Japan has moved away in time for us so it was reassuring. We are happy to be back in Japan after three years without coming here. The last time we raced here, we had Miguel Oliveira in his rookie year on the KTM, and the bike has improved hugely since then. It will feel like a new track for us and I believe that we will be competitive. The weather seems unpredictable at the moment, so we might have some difficult track conditions to work around, but we will try our best for the second race of the ongoing MotoGP triple-header.”

Quartararo, Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro are now split by just 17 points, Marquez remains a somewhat unknown quantity, and we’re heading onto home turf for Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. There’s plenty at stake in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan…

MotoGP Championship Points Standings

Moto2

MotorLand Aragon saw Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) back on the top step, Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) gain a little more ground Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) increase his lead over his closest rival, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), by three points heading into the flyaways. But that lead remains only seven, and now it’s time to race on Ogura’s home turf.

The Japanese rider is now an established presence at the front in Moto2, and he’ll be keen to hit back and use experience to his advantage. Like many in the field – the majority – he hasn’t ridden Motegi in the intermediate class, but he knows his way around the track better than most with that home circuit knowledge. Can that make a key difference this weekend?

For many on the grid like Acosta, however, the track may also prove a clean slate. The likes of Canet and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) have ridden there in Moto3, but many on the grid never have so it’s a race to get up to speed. But not for everyone: Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) has scored points there in the class, and Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) have experience there. Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP 40) was the top finisher of the returning Moto2 field in 2019 in P5… but Fernandez was no slouch either with a top ten result.

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

Moto3

Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) hammered home his advantage at MotorLand with another superb win, and it’s now a sizeable 33 point gap at the top as the paddock heads for Mobility Resort Motegi. But next it’s unchartered territory for the number 28 and his fellow fresh faces in the class, with the veterans looking to stamp some authority and two home heroes in particular lining up a win.

Guevara’s teammate Sergio Garcia will be the first looking to use experience to his advantage, closely followed by Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) as they both came away from Aragon almost empty handed. The likes of Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) will also want to make their previous knowledge pay. But the weekend will have all eyes on the home heroes as the grid returns to Japan, and two of them especially will want some home glory: Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) and Ayumu Sasaki (Sterillgarda Husqvarna Max).

Suzuki has hit some good podium form this season and will most definitely want to replicate that on home turf as a minimum, but it’s Sasaki who’s really on a roll. despite some bad luck and trouble, the number 71 is homing in on the Championship top three and arrives back on home turf as a Grand Prix winner and consistent podium finisher.

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

2022 Motegi MotoGP Time Schedule
(AEST)

2022 MotoGP Calendar