MotoGP readying for Motegi – Aussies on grid in all classes

MotoGP 2023

Round 14 – Japanese Grand Prix

The first Indian race weekend in the history of MotoGP had barely ended when the protagonists winged their way, some hugging porcelain bowls for the journey, to the Japanese archipelago and the megacity of Tokyo. From there, they travelled to the Motegi circuit, two hours from the Japanese capital, but a place and cuisine much more familiar to the MotoGP paddock than Buddh International Circuit.

The 4.801 km ‘Twin Ring’ of Motegi has hosted MotoGP since 2004, with its four straights, six left turns and eight right turns.

Located in the heart of the Japanese countryside, in a heavily wooded mountainous area, the Motegi circuit (owned by Honda) can see wind, fog and rain, as was largely the case in 2022. For this 2023 edition, the Tochigi prefecture has forecast fairly cool temperatures in the morning (around 15°C), with highs expected of around 27°C for Friday and Saturday and 24°C for the Grand Prix.

In 2022, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) won the Grand Prix by setting a new race lap record, which was one of the longest lasting of the calendar as it dated back to 2014. Miller beat Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in a dry race which followed a weekend largely disrupted by rain, with only one dry test session. With five wins each, Dani Pedrosa (3 x MotoGP, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc) and Marc Marquez (3 x MotoGP, 1 x Moto2, 1 x 125cc) are the most successful riders at the circuit.

The gap at the top is the closest the Championship has been for some time, with a crash for leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) at Buddh opening the door for his closest rivals to capitalise – and that they did. Pecco will out for redemption and he’s no stranger to rising to that occasion in style.  Bagnaia took the Moto2 win in 2018 in Japan after qualifying on pole position (he crossed the line in second after battling with Quartararo, but the Frenchman was later disqualified for a technical infringement). His best MotoGP result at Motegi is 13th scored in 2019. He crashed out in 2022 trying to overtake Quartararo.

Francesco Bagnaia

“After the Indian GP, our priority in Japan will be to solve the problems we encountered last weekend. Making the most of each session will be important, so I hope we will find consistent weather conditions on all three days. I am sure that together with my team, we will be able to find a solution soon. I’m ready and pumped to tackle another weekend on the track.”

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) arrive with the momentum. Martin from another Tissot Sprint win, equalling Bagnaia’s count this year, and then a hard-fought second place on Sunday. The Spaniard is now just 13 points off Bagnaia’s lead as he digs in and keeps pulling back that gap.

But Bezzecchi? On paper he may not have done the double, but he was, without a doubt, the fastest rider in India. Bezzecchi’s comeback on Saturday after that unfortunate turn one contact from team-mate Luca Marini – who will miss this weekend and won’t be replaced – was an absolute barnstormer, and in only 10 laps. Cat out the bag and his pace proven, there was some pressure on Sunday to deliver the win that speed promised, but deliver he did. With Pecco’s crash behind him opening the door to a real gain in the standings too, it’s now a 44-point deficit for the Mooney VR46 rider.

Marco Bezzecchi

“I really like Japan, the fans, the atmosphere and the Twin Ring track in Motegi, one of my favourite. I’ve always be quite fast here, I achieved my first podium in the World Championship in Moto3, and the sensations are positive. I’m coming from a very solid weekend, I have a good feeling with the bike, I can be competitive and consistent. I’m very excited, but we have to continue to take care of all these aspects here in Motegi too in order to be able to fight in the strongest group.”

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) bagged some big points again too. The South African had a bit of a nightmare end to Practice and Q1 as yellow flags scrubbed off his best efforts, but despite starting outside the top ten, he took off like a shot to make it P4 in both the Sprint and Grand Prix. He’s now 100 points off the top, but there’s still more than double that on the table, and he took a podium last season at Motegi.

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He and team-mate Jack Miller, who won at Motegi last year with Ducati; as well as GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 duo Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez, have a last stand of their own this weekend already though: the constructors’ crown is in play for the first time.

Augusto Fernandez

“I love going to Japan, and I love the track, so I am really looking forward to this new race week. I have good memories from last year, I was fighting for the championship with Ogura, and finished on the podium. In India last week, our results did not reflect it, but we made a big step, we were more competitive, and the confidence on the bike clearly improved after the Misano test, so I look forward to being in Motegi, and try getting a good result.”

Pol Espargaro

“I have had so much fun in the past in Motegi, especially back in the days in Moto2 when I won the race, and my world championship, and I performed pretty well in general. The weather is always challenging, it can rain a lot and be super cold, which is the opposite of what we just had in India, so we will have to evolve with the conditions. Our bike has been performing well at this track, so I am looking forward to seeing what we can do this year with the 2023 package. I hope to see many Japanese fans, they are always so nice to us!”

Ducati’s impressive and growing form over the past few seasons has seen them wrap up the constructors’ title even when the riders’ crown went begging, with so many fast faces in play at once. But this season that ten-year journey to the top could pay off even earlier as they arrive at Motegi with a 200-point lead over KTM. Yes, you read that correctly. With 222 still in play and 37 available over a weekend, the top Ducati needs to outscore the top KTM by 22 or more. This time they’re riding out with six bikes as three-time Motegi winner Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) joins Marini on the sidelines, not replaced, but there’s Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP) alongside the Championshop top three on track.

Michele Pirro

“I am happy to be able to race another Grand Prix with the Ducati Lenovo Team. The Indian GP last week was quite difficult: it was a new track, and I suffered a lot physically because of the heat. Now we are going to Japan, a track that we know and of which we have more data available, so I hope I can make up for it and give more satisfaction to the team.”

Aprilia are now out of that constructors’ fight, and they weren’t able to make much hay in the fight at the front in India either, so they’ll want a lot more at Motegi. It could be a tougher one for the agile RS-GP with such hard braking and acceleration, but a little more luck would help as well. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) had a crash in the Sprint and then a DNF in the GP, and team-mate Maverick Viñales took some points on Saturday before his Grand Prix race was very much dampened by being sent well wide at Turn 1. Still, he recovered to eighth. Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) had a tough weekend overall too, whereas team-mate Raul Fernandez managed to keep making those steps forward with a best qualifying yet, a Sprint point and top ten on Sunday.

Miguel Oliveira

“After the tough weekend in India, I’m looking forward to Japan. The Mobility Resort Motegi is a track where I was fast last year, so hopefully I can get quick there also this season and discover what we have in our hands there with the Aprilia.”

Raul Fernandez

“I think during the last weekends, we did a really good job. I can ride the bike like I want and I can have fun on the bike again. The important thing is trying to continue with this good feeling, no matter the track. I think the circuit in Japan is not one of our best, but I think now with my style, I guess I can ride very well. I want to keep enjoying and build on this great feeling. Day by day, I feel more comfortable with the bike and my natural riding is coming.”

Speaking of steps forward, however, means speaking about Honda and Yamaha, as both arrive on hallowed home turf at Motegi. LCR Honda Castrol’s stand-in Stefan Bradl had a tougher one in India but did take a point. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took P11 but will be gunning for a lot more on home soil this weekend.

In India, the Repsol Honda team were back in the hunt, with podiums more than plausible and one bagged. Was this an outlier due to the nature of the Indian track, or can they keep it going? Joan Mir just pipped Marc Marquez to fifth in qualifying before the two delivered some top performances once the lights went out: Mir had a slow slide out in the Sprint but then hounded Binder in a duel for fourth on Sunday. Marquez dug in behind the Ducati duo to take his second Sprint podium of the season, and on Sunday, Marquez then had an agonisingly slow tip off at Turn 1. He was back on in record time and sliced his way back up the order to a top ten finish, but he lost ten seconds in the crash, if not for which by his race times he would have been in the battle for second place.

Throughout history Honda have achieved 48 Grand Prix victories on home soil, 13 coming in the premier class and most recently in 2019 when Marquez stormed his way to an eighth World Championship.

Marc Marquez

“Motegi is always a special race, especially when you are a Honda rider. We have had many memorable moments there in the past, winning championships, returning to pole last year so I hope that we can do something nice to give the fans a reason to cheer for us. Conditions in Motegi can often change a lot, so we will have to adapt as the weekend goes but our overall objective remains the same: make steady progress and achieve the best result possible.”

Joan Mir

“I am looking forward to riding at Motegi as a Honda rider, always the fans there are incredible, and I can’t wait to ride there again. We come from a weekend in India where we were able to be consistent throughout with a good final result and I hope that we can do this again in Japan. But I think we will have a more challenging weekend, so let’s see finally what will happen. It’s all about setting up to end the season in the best way possible.”

Last but by no means least, that duel for second may not have seen Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) come out on top, but it did see the Frenchman give it one hell of a shot. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli took some solid points in India but Quartararo was able to wring a serious charge at the front out of his Sunday, stalking Martin before getting more than stuck in. The two were locked together over the last lap and it was a flash of what we’re missing as Yamaha look to move forward. A podium ahead of their home round, where they’ll also welcome a wildcard appearance for test rider Cal Crutchlow.

Fabio Quartararo

“Third place in the Indian GP was a good result. It was a good boost for me and for the team before the home GP of Yamaha. Going to Japan is always nice. I enjoyed the visit to the Yamaha headquarters. It is always nice to see the Yamaha employees. They are very enthusiastic, so that creates a positive feeling before we start the race weekend. I also like the Motegi circuit. I hope we can get some more good results this weekend. We will do our best!”

Franco Morbidelli

“After a positive end to the Indian GP for the team, we have arrived in Japan. It‘s Yamaha‘s home GP, so we want to try to improve on the results we got last week. But before going to the track, I visited the headquarters of the Yamaha Motor Company in Iwata to say ‘goodbye‘ to the Yamaha employees as this is my last year with them. It was a nice visit, and I‘m going to try to enjoy this race weekend to the fullest.”

Cal Crutchlow

“I‘m looking forward to riding at the Japanese Grand Prix with the YAMALUBE RS4GP Racing Team. Essentially, they are my test team that I work with during the season. We‘ve been working really hard this year to improve the bike for the Factory riders for the current season and next season. This wild card will give us the opportunity to do something a little different over the course of the weekend and find the best possible set-up to help them for the Japan race weekend, the rest of the season, and potentially next year. I always enjoy going to Japan, to the country and the Motegi race circuit. I had a nice time visiting the Yamaha headquarters and factory, and I look forward to having a fun weekend.”

MotoGP Championship Points

Moto2

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is on a serious roll. Another dominant performance in India extended his advantage once more, but at least for Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) it was only a five-point swing, all things considered. After a tougher run, the Italian has been right back in the front fight over the last two rounds too, so he’ll want to repeat that in Japan… and more.

Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team), meanwhile, had an eye on victory before his clash with Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools Speed Up), which also gained the latter two Long Laps for his trouble. That’ll be a hurdle for Lopez, and the deficit to the top is a bigger hurdle for Dixon as both arrive looking to bounce back.

After a return to the rostrum for the first time this year, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) will want to keep that going at Motegi too, and the rider he just got the better of in that spectacular last lap duel, Sergio Garcia (Pons Wegow Los40), will be gunning for another bite of that top five cherry as his rookie momentum in the intermediate class keeps impressing.

All that said, Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) will be stealing plenty of the spotlight. As the home hero, but also as the winner in 2022 after a truly impressive weekend.

One rider from the LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP team will not be on the grid, as Lukas Tulovic will have to sit it out due to injury after the German broke his foot as well as his left collarbone in India, which was operated on while he was still there. He will be replaced by a familiar face from the team’s own Moto2 Junior Team: Senna Agius. The Australian will be competing in Motegi, a track he has previously raced on in 2018 and 2019 with the Asian Talent Cup as well as the Japanese MFJ Championship and is looking forward to this opportunity.

Moto2 Championship Points

Moto3

The Moto3 Championship has been closing up for a while, but it’s rarely been closer than this. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) remains the leader by virtue of his three wins to Jaume Masia’s (Leopard Racing) two, but they’re now equal on points after Masia’s win in India. And Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) is now just one single point behind, right as the paddock touches down on his home turf at Motegi… where he was also on the podium last year. He’s the highest finisher from 2022 who returns to race the track in the class this year, too.

David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), meanwhile, is now fourth overall after he took another top five, coming home just behind Holgado at Buddh. The rider for whom India was an expensive weekend in the standings was instead veteran Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), whose adventurous Saturday morning gained him a back of the grid start and Long Lap, had a mountain that was just that little too high to climb on Sunday. Öncü will be going all out to gain that ground back and get his elbows out in the process at Motegi. Finally, Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) arrives from a first podium of the season just in time for home turf as well, so he’ll want to back that up this weekend.

After suffering a highside last time out in India Joel Kelso will be looking to put his best foot forward this weekend in Japan as he strives to prove his worth to potential employers for season 2024.

Moto3 Championship Points

Japanese Grand Prix Schedule
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2023 MotoGP Calendar